Embrace the New

At the beginning of each year, I pick one word to focus on through out the year.  This was started as a work activity and became a part of my annual routine.  For 2024, my word was to “Embrace” so that I would focus on embracing what I have and what I do not have.

Ironically enough, the last month of 2024 brought the concept of “Embrace” to the top of my mind as I was forced to accept the big change in my vision.  You see, my whole life I have been the one with the perfect vision.  I hardly needed to go to an optometrist. However, lately my squinting became more of the norm and given that I hadn’t been to an optometrist for the last 6 years, I decided to take the plunge.  And as a result, I ended up with readers.  “Readers” might not be a big deal for everyone, but it is for me.  It means “embracing what I do not have any more” and at the same time it is refreshing because it is something new.  I am still getting used to putting them on and trying not to look at a distance with them.

It is extra special to end the year with something new.  Accepting and embracing what I do not have made me feel strong.  And it feels good to feel strong as 2024 is coming to an end.  I hope you all either had the chance or will have the chance to flex that “embrace” muscle!

And now as we think through those muscles, here is our Train and Smile class that focused on stability of those muscles while having fun with an empty cardboard box.

Happy ending of a year and a start of a new year!