Friday, November 06, 2015

49


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Well, today I am 49 years old, a stone's throw away from 50. What am I thinking about? How do I feel?
Every year that goes by I feel acutely aware of how little time we have in this life, on this Earth. Our lives truly go by in the blink of an eye, and the years teach much that the days will never know. All too soon we go back to the stardust we came from and the glow of our presence here will fade away. All we really have is what time remains, and how we choose to spend it.  Make every day count.
 Last November 6, we were moving to our new place, and entering into a year that has had some of the most difficult challenges we have ever faced as a family.  Looking back on it now, it seems a million miles away - we got through the worst of it one painful inch at a time, but we got through it. Life has stabilized and we can choose to remember the good times and let go of the bad, right? What a  roller coaster the past 12 months have been.  I get tired just thinking about it.
That said, I am so, so grateful for this wonderful life I have and I feel lucky beyond words, especially to be part of the lives of so many other people around the world.

I am grateful for my wonderful wife and my two boys, who continue to be my strength through every hardship.  Together, as a family, we will make it no matter what.  I am grateful for my beloved pugs, who show me what unconditional love is, and how important it is for me to live each moment fully.
I am grateful for Kali Majapahit, my guiding force and my passion.  I am grateful to my teachers, Guro Fred and Guro Lila, to all my fellow instructors, and especially to my students, who make me so incredibly proud.  Your journey inspires mine.
I am grateful for my friends, and getting greetings from so many of you across all the many ways that we know each other makes me very glad indeed - thanks to you all I feel part of a precious fabric --- something very special and important. We have changed each other in more ways (usually positive) than I can count.  Thank you, really, THANK YOU for being a part of my life and for sharing so much with me.  All of you make my life worth living.
Tonight we have Kali class, and I can't think of an anything else I'd rather do - see you at training.