New Year’s Directions

Rather than New Year’s Resolutions I believe in New Year’s Directions.

A new direction for me this year is the lack of direction in Cindy’s decline. For the start of the past few years I was uncertain whether Cindy would still be around for the next. Yet here she is, now on hospice care, not much worse than when hospice started last March. She has lived four months longer than the default time frame for hospice care, with no further decline in sight. That leads me to now look at her condition more like indefinite permanence rather than unrelenting decline towards an end.

This new direction for Cindy’s condition means new directions for me as a caregiver. In past years I would not incorporate some activities into a routine because of the uncertainty of continual decline. I am ready to change that for my New Year’s Directions, using my favorite brain health mantra of “Be Social. Be Positive. Be Active” as a guide. I also make these directions public, as I welcome anyone to assist with these new directions.

This new year I want to take advantage of our adult stroller for small gatherings around our dining room table, sharing meals, light-hearted games or conversation. The stroller fully supports Cindy when she sits, expanding what we can do. We recently attended our first Christmas Eve service in a few years, thanks to the stroller.

Earlier in her decline, Cindy used to enjoy watching people have a good time together; I believe she still can soak in some of those vibes. We have many communities to approach: family, neighbors, hikers, nurses, etc. This new direction improves my social life as well.

Greater positivity in the new year will require less time spent on traditional social media. Software exists to turn one’s blog into their own social media platform akin to Facebook. This Humanity Hiker blog started with the tagline: “Love kindness. Build community. Believe in humanity.” Lately from my brain health research I have adopted the motto: “Be social. Be positive. Be active.” Over the year I will take steps in the direction of providing a social media platform guided by both my tagline and motto, a platform with positive, affirming interactions between members.

Another direction I will continue to follow for being active composing the American Discovery Symphony and creating the accompanying slideshow. Last year I orchestrated first drafts for the first four movements of the symphony. This year I will orchestrate the “grand finale” movement and continually take steps towards turning all the drafts into a final, polished project. I feel confident that the American Discovery Symphony will provide a touching tribute to Cindy, an inspiring call to discover America, and even a little insight on brain health.

Care to assist me? If you are in the area, let us have a game night. If you are tired of the negativity on traditional social media platforms let me know and I will keep you in the loop about mine. If you want a preview of any part of the American Discovery symphony drop on by, or maybe I can arrange for a small “gig” at your place.

There is another new direction for this year. Our daughter Charissa is due for our first grandchild in July.

Those are my directions this new year to be social, positive and active. What are yours?