PCGuyIV https://pcguyiv.wordpress.com/2024/01/09/truthful-tuesday-january-9th-2024/‘s Truthful Tuesday question for this week is:
2024 is just nine days old, but that’s been long enough to get a good first impression of how the year will be. Is 2024 shaping up to be a good year, or is there room for improvement? Are you holding on to the belief that this year will be better than last, or have you already thrown out the “New Year’s Spirit” with the other after-holiday trash?

I have not written in this blog since last summer, and I hope to get back to posting more often but probably not as regularly as before, due to the number of activities and events that I am involved in. But I decided answering this Truthful Tuesday question is a good way to start the new year.

Recently, I attended a discussion in which the facilitator suggested that, instead of making New Year Resolutions, choose a word, a single word, to be one’s personal guide for the year. I thought that was a good idea, so I chose the word

HEALTH.

This word encompasses a lot of things, and can be interpreted very broadly. The most obvious one is my physical health. To start this year, I am having knee replacement surgery on Jan.15. My left knee has been a nagging problem for several years, the pain getting worse until finally I decided to take action. When neither a cortisone shot (in both knees) nor a gel injection had any effect whatsoever, and an X-ray showed that my knee was “bone on bone,” my doctor told me to schedule surgery. I did this over a month ago, choosing this date because I was planning a vacation in December that ended up not happening. I figured when I got back near the end of the month, I would have enough time to prepare.

Finally, my surgery date is less than a week away! After that, I am going to a rehab center for a week rather than going straight home, because I will get more therapy in a rehab center and Medicare pays for it.

HEALTH in the physical sense also means eating healthy and exercising regularly. So far, I’ve been doing this and hope to continue after my surgery because I’m tired of having all my clothes feel and look tight on me! I think I will feel better too, have more energy. I also have to be mindful to end my “screen time” early. I have NOT been successful with that so far! Maybe it’s why I am having trouble sleeping.

HEALTH is also my mental health, my satisfaction with my life. Travel is very important to me and we (my husband and I) try to take at least two trips a year. In 2022 (post-COVID), we took two trips, both partial cruises, both in Europe. In 2023, we took one trip, to southern Africa. I had planned this trip in December that we decided to cancel, because it was to the Middle East. Need I say more? So, I would like to take multiple trips in 2024, even if they are just weekend trips to another city or state. In May, we are taking a train trip across Canada, and I am deciding on a trip to Southeast Asia for later in the year. Travel is a vital part of my mental health so I’m hoping for a better year this year!

In 2023, I started making greeting cards using my artwork. This has generated more positive feedback than I expected, and people have been buying my cards and excited to get them as gifts from me. So continuing my artwork is another health-related goal, because it is relaxing yet challenging and I really enjoy it!

Aggravation and fear also affect my health. Then we get into the political realm. I don’t want to make this post a political essay; suffice it to say that we must do whatever possible to keep Trump from getting back into the presidency. I still believe he is an existential threat to the United States, and that in a second term, he will surround himself with absolute loyalists and destroy what is left of our democracy. The health of this country depends on the Democrats regaining the White House, at least! Enough said about that.

To myself, I say welcome back to blogging, and may 2024 allow me to post more often! I especially love answering questions and doing photo challenges.