The year is half gone???

By Lonnie Cruse

Seems like I just took the Christmas tree down, and it's nearly time to put it back up. Okay, I hear you groaning. Yes, I put it up early in November and take it down whenever I get to it in January. I like a loooong Christmas season. Where was I? Time. It flies.

The year is half over and each day screams by faster than the last (unless you are still in elementary or high school, right?) As my hubby says, we must be having an awful lot of fun, given how fast time flies, now. So, where are you, in your life? Where you want to be? Where you should be? Where you were meant to be? Or stuck somewhere you think you can't climb out of?

Several years ago I heard someone say that it was a good idea for people to take stock of their lives every now and then. To ask ourselves: Where do I want to be in a year? In five years? In ten years? (That is, of course, assuming I'd still be here!) I took a good hard look at the job I was doing back then (this was the mid-90's, mind you) and realized I most certainly did NOT want to be in that job (driving a small school bus for adult ed students and doing secretarial work between runs) in a year or five years. I DO realize this is a different day and time, jobs are extremely scarce, etc, but work with me here.

I was able to transfer my college credits from Nevada to Illinois, take more classes, get a certificate to be a teacher's aide (which job I did want to do, love working with kids) and I went for it. I also wanted to be a writer, so I took classes online for that, began working on a manuscript, and doing whatever I had to do to learn how to become published.

Even in these very tough economic times, it is often possible to realize our dreams. To change direction in our lives. It won't be easy. It might require getting up before the sun or staying up late in order to take required classes that point us in that new direction or learn a new trade/talent. It might require tightening a belt, giving up some activities, working harder, whatever, but if we have a dream, shouldn't we at least take a shot at it? If we miss, at least we know we tried?

Time is indeed flying by. So ask yourself. Where do YOU want to be next year at this time, in your life? In five years? In ten? Are you working toward it, or simply dreaming about it? Because if we are all still alive, next year WILL come to us, whether we plan for it or not. Where do we want to be when it arrives?

You'll have to excuse me now. I need to go plug in the tree lights and see if they still twinkle. Or possibly dust off the artificial branches. Maybe start Christmas shopping? Okay, okay, it's only July, but November will be here before we know it. Won't it?