We can all see more clearly now that we have 2020. A phrase we coined a long time ago is “clearly its cloudy”; it came up time and again during a legal matter. Lawyers use the word “clearly” a lot when trying to emphasize their point. But there’s always two sides in litigation so the opposition counsel is using “clearly” a lot too. Hence: clearly it’s cloudy. Depends what angle you see the situation from that determines your take.

Rose coloured glasses are a sure way to see the good. Not necessarily always the best choice as we all know. The other saying is “hindsight is 2020”. Clearly that’s true. But even so we don’t always learn from our past experiences and choose wisely going forward. Sometimes it’s more convenient or less painful to see what we want to see.

Another saying “mother knows best” is way of telling us that experience has value. But nonetheless we try our own path only to prove to ourselves. It’s called adulting now I think. Back from the era where mothers (usually more than fathers since mothers did the child rearing) gave their opinion and layer down the rules but still let you have enough rope to have free will. Nowadays mothers and fathers keep the rope and do everything for their kids thinking it will be better. We can see how that’s working out.

So in the land of retirement we are looking at the year ahead and planning our life. It’s a lot different than working that’s for sure. The planning is fluid and relaxed. There’s no pressure or deadlines. The options are infinite. Well almost. Here’s my short list of goals:

1. Read more. And not just novels. Something informative and thought provoking. Maybe even Michelle Obama’s drivel.

2. Learn something new. I’m thinking Krav Maga. Physical and useful. Last year we learned pickleball and it’s a game changer for us.

3. Purge my closet. We’ve really pared down but there’s more work to do. And it’s not only clothes that’s in closets. Reduce the stuff.

4. Get a job. I started volunteering at a local artisans market before we left Canada. I will likely go back. But I’m on the lookout for something (strictly part time) where I can apply my skills.

5, Less screen time. It’s easy to fall into the device vortex as we rely on it for everything. But if I work on numbers 1 to 4 diligently I think screen time will evaporate some.

Happy New Year!