This time of year always brings me to review the past twelve months and try to put things in perspective, and then look to the future. All in all, the last year has been a shocking change for me in multiple aspects of my life. 

Travel restart: after three years of COVID and avoiding air travel, I decided to break back into my favorite past-time with a CME trip to Florida. I visited my uncle and aunt, did a week of medical education, and nature bathed in the Everglades National Park. Then in June, I quit my job and took almost four weeks off to reset and take a sabbatical. As part of my journey, I flew to Denver and then drove all over the state visiting national parks. First, Great Sand Dune NP, then the Black Canyon of the Gunnyson NP, and finally Rocky Mountaint NP. I loved it and it felt great to be in nature, seeing beautiful places. Finally, my son did a semester abroad for school, so I traveled with him to Donostia, Spain and had an amazing time. We started in London, and then trained our way through Paris, Bordeaux, and then hung out in Basque Country in Northern Spain. On the way home I stopped in Iceland for a whirlwind 2 1/2 day tour. 

Job change: After 13 years as a primary care provider in two different practices, I decided to leave my position and work for the Veteran’s Administration, doing primary care for mainly elderly and chronically ill veterans in the home. It was a huge deal and took 9 months of transition, moving patients, and doing a lot of government paperwork. It was worth it for me and now I love my job and feel more free, relaxed, and focused. 

Family: Caring for my family is so important to me, and time off, job change, and adding more self care into my life have all re-invigorated me to be present and positive to the people in my home as they deal with difficult things. I’ve made some good diet changes, added more interesting work outs into the mix, and started doing yoga a few times a week, and these changes have helped me deal with stress, and feel more positive. 

Writing: I started this website and blog which has been a fun new hobby for me. I’ve always wanted to do such a thing, and decided that this year was the time to do it. Now I can work on improving my creative side and writing style. As well, I’ve decided to dedicate the site to health, and the many aspects of life that affect our well being. 

Looking to the future is always a difficult task. Our vision ahead is often clouded with fog, and the random things that can suddenly be thrust into our lives can throw us off course. Earlier this month, I wrote about a hike I took out to the end of Dungeness Spit ( Dungeness Spit), where a beautiful lighthouse sits that has guided ships through rough waters for over a hundred and fifty years. At the beginning of the year, I visited Cape Disappointment and saw another fine example of lighthouse architecture that points the way for those seeking to enter the mouth of the mighty Columbia. These were appropriate bookends for my year, with a nice metaphor included for free. Regardless of the circumstances, I have had a beacon to follow of faith, hope and love to navigate through rough waters. These have been grounding principles for me. Circumstances, friends, family, and many other factors change dynamically and sometimes chaotically. I have found these fantastic ideas to be my inspiration and my foundation for facing the future. 

Most of all, I am so grateful for love. Just a few minutes ago, my daughter and I walked in the front door and our golden retriever was waiting there patiently. As soon as she realized it was us, her tail started waving back and forth so much that it almost threw her off balance. She looks like she is going to burst. I think that is love. If our dog loves in such a way, our own potential to do likewise is an awesome possibility. 

I don’t have a lot of specific goals to ponder this last day of the year: just some foundational principles to meditate on, and infuse with intention as 2024 hits the road tonight!