As usual, each new year brings it’s usual ups and downs. By this time I’m well aware of the rollercoaster called life. I’d like to reflect on the good and the bad and take from it what I need to move forward. I hope my thoughts will help you do the same.

First I learned to walk again without pain. My second hip was replaced in April and I was off to the races in a matter of weeks. Modern medicine is a miracle. I can now walk and bike ride and get in an out of a chair like a teenager. If you are struggling with any kind of joint pain, find a good doctor and do what it takes to get it fixed. You will wonder why you waited so long.

Secondly my heart broke when we lost our puppy, Skipper at 1 year of age. After we lost Ginger to cancer the year before, he came home to file our hearts. And that he did. When he started having multiple seizures a day we had to let him go. Skipper needed us to help him in every way possible and we tried out best. My heart break was enormous having lost two precious dogs in a year’s time. I learned however, that our forever dog is out there, waiting and we will find him soon.

Thirdly I learned how important it is to reconnect with people that you loved in the past. We all know someone who simply fell off our radar for no reason anyone can remember. With all the search functions available today, no one is that hard to find. If a memory of an old friend has popped into your head, they need you. Go find them.

In 1977 I graduated from college and headed to Pittsburgh to work for Gimbels. I met a woman in the training program and we became fast friends. When I left for Florida in 1980, we slowly lost touch. But she’d been on my mind lately so I started Googling only to find she’d died of breast cancer a year ago at age 64. Sad that I’d been too late, I wrote a letter to her husband trying to offer him some comfort by telling him one of our funny escapades.

The biggest lesson of all is that time is precious. Make the most of it. Don’t put off going to the doctor. Fix what is ailing you and go on with a happier, healthier life. Volunteer at an animal shelter or nursing home because your smile can help heal someone else. If someone you know is on your mind, call them up, email them, let them know you’re thinking of them. It will mean the world to them and to you. Let’s all have a happier, healthier, kinder and more love filled new year in 2020.