‘You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.’ – C. S. Lewis
FOR many people, the new year is a time for resolutions, with the yearend becoming a day of reckoning the gains and losses of the year just past. These resolutions may thus aim at achieving better standards of living, advance careers or for personal growth.
I agree with author and professional life coach Craig D. Lounsbrough that “any new beginning is forged from the shards of the past, not from the abandonment of the past.”
“Starting over is an acceptance of a past we can’t change, an unrelenting conviction that the future can be different, and the stubborn wisdom to use the past to make the future what the past was not,” he wrote.

Many new year resolutions remain just that — resolutions. Ask your friends, colleagues and even family members how many of their resolutions were realized.
There were many significant events that happened last year that should guide us and our leaders who were elected to steer the country for the benefit of the people. Carlos Yulo winning the gold medal for gymnastics in the 2024 Paris Olympics; the Mt. Kanlaon eruption; the appointment of Jonvic Remulla as interior and local government secretary, bringing two brothers into the Marcos Cabinet; the spiraling prices of rice, onions, tomatoes and other commodities; the continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea, among others, coupled with the disquieting news in our politics. In the international front, the second election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Hamas, etc.
On January 20, Trump will be sworn in as the 47th US president. With the US being one of our main allies and trading partners, Filipinos are curious and cautious on how his policies will impact our economy. I read that Trump intends to be strict with illegal entrants whom he accused of robbing bonafide Americans of the financial benefits due them. I personally know of many Filipinos who go to the US and stay on forever until they resolve their immigration status by marrying US citizens or obtaining employment that will help them work out their change of status.
We are gearing these days for the midterm elections; election paraphernalia are posted all over, spoiling our “vista.” Programs abound where aspiring candidates give out “groceries” to the seniors or the needy; medical missions sponsored by this or that candidate; scholarships given out to students and so on and so forth.
But the biggest fear for most of us (at least for me) is the threat of climate change-induced disturbances in the next few months. I fear the intermittent rains that cause flooding and damage to our crops, our homes and our very lives. I fear for any catastrophe like the LA fire, the earthquakes in many countries, etc. I expect the government to take the lead on how to meet these challenges. I wish we could focus more on these than winning the elections or changing the leadership.
But on a personal note, I want to congratulate myself for what I have achieved the past year, from featuring in an Ikebana exhibit, having my article included in an anthology, joining colleagues in undertaking socio-civic projects, traveling to see the varied beauty of our country, to learning a new craft, among others.
And I intend to achieve more.
I want to live my life loving myself and being grateful for all the blessings showered on me by God.
Let me share excerpts from this inspiring piece:
“I dedicate the time I have left, whether it’s a lot or a little, to giving myself the most valuable luxuries: loyalty to myself and the peace that comes from my own decisions, without letting anyone corrupt them.
I dedicate to myself the songs that once brought memories of someone, but I no longer cry over absences or regret not knowing whether I would win or lose.”
For seniors like me, wouldn’t it be memorable if we meet again people we knew from the past or even shared “more than friendship” in the past. I treasure moments making new friends whom we share common interests, whom we laugh to our hearts delight about funny experiences, whom we share light moments watching movies, concerts and plays, whom we travel to see places never seen before, whom we shop together for things that are not actually needed but love to own them.
Live it! Fear not! After all, it’s my life, and it won’t happen twice. Life is a Spiral, I go up, up, up and above!!