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Joy Walker

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https://joymwalker.com

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Calhoun Pickleball Courts Completed

Enjoying Progress in My Own Backyard Part II

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Six weeks ago, I encouraged you to enjoy the progress in your own backyard. Today, I will update you on the pickleball courts in “my backyard.” But first a challenge. Do you remember the children’s Highlights Magazine pictures where you had to describe similarities and differences between two pictures?

Well, for the first three people who email me or post in the comments section, two differences in the picture for today’s story and the picture of the courts for the June 6th blog, I am offering a free e-book copy of Finding Joy in the West as soon as it is available. So, if you are interested in receiving an e-book copy of my not-yet-released book, compare the pickleball courts and tell me two differences in the pictures.

For the past six weeks, I have ridden my bike to the Calhoun Recreation Center to check the progress on the new pickleball courts. Each time I looked for changes. Lights one day. Nets and windscreens another. Two weeks ago, I spoke with Bryan from the maintenance department as he watered the newly planted trees. He mentioned specifics that required completion before the courts could undergo a final inspection and then be opened to the public. For example, Bryan pointed out that the square cut-outs around the light posts still needed backfilling, which posed a potential safety hazard.  

Then, on a recent evening drive through the park, I noticed the parking lot by the courts was full. Upon learning the courts were indeed finished and open for play, my friend Lynna and I scheduled a day to play pickleball.

At 1:00 on a July weekday afternoon in the Georgia heat, we were happy to have the courts to ourselves.

Lynna brought cooling towels which made the heat totally bearable. I brought the paddles and balls recently gifted to me by my brother-in-law. We both admitted to being new to the sport. Apparently, having played for an hour in the Florida Keys this spring made me the expert between the two of us. It took me all of 30 seconds to impart my vast pickleball knowledge, and I expertly (or should I say naively?) served the first ball to Lynna with a bounce and an underhand hit to the opposite court.

 For an hour, we played and talked. We felt comforted by the fact that no one who knew anything about the sport was around to laugh or criticize. We commented on how much easier the game seemed in comparison to tennis. The ball bounced slowly, which gave us more time for our aging legs to get to it. After an hour of trying our best to hit the ball so our friend could easily return it, we played a “real game.”

Neither of us has even seen a pickleball game! You pickleball players out there would have gotten a good laugh. We were two eight-year-olds on the playground making up the rules.

“How many points should we play to?”

“Let’s say we have to hit the ball for the serve without letting it bounce.”

“We gotta stay out of the kitchen up here by the net, right?”

“So, should we take turns serving, or should I serve for the whole game?”

We had no idea what we were doing. Or did we? What we were doing was enjoying the progress in our own backyard. Lynna and I were out there having fun. My hope is that we will learn the rules and subsequently become better players. However, I also hope Lynna and I will never forget the joy of playing for our first time on the fancy new courts in our own backyard. And of course, I encourage you to continue looking for joy in your own backyard, too.

Big Rocks First

Focusing on the Big Rocks

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A legendary story about putting big rocks into a jar first before pebbles and sand and water has stayed in my mind since I first heard it. Stephen R. Covey, (author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) is best known for telling the story, but I don’t think he claimed ownership. The basic premise is that we need to focus on the big rocks, the most important aspects of our lives, first. If we put in the big rocks first, then we will have room for pebbles and sand, or the less important tasks. But if we first fill our jar with sand or water—the unnecessary distractions—we leave no room for what is important, really important.

Independence Day marks the second half of the year. The first half of 2024 is gone. Can you believe it? On the flip side, though, we still have half a year to accomplish our goals. It’s the glass is half full, or the glass is half empty concept. Let’s look at it as the glass is half full. We still have 180 days to finish what we started on New Year’s Day.

In January, in One Word Can Change the World, and again in Starter’s Day, I suggested picking one word to focus on for the year, or to set goals in the five areas Jon Acuff lists as: career, financial, health, relationships, and fun. Then in Eternal Hope on March 31st as we wrapped up the first quarter of the year, I encouraged you to keep going, to stay focused. In March Madness terms, I reminded you that the score at the end of the first quarter is not necessarily an indicator of the final score.

So here we are now at halftime. How are you doing on your goals? Are you still focused on your word for the year? Remember, most people do not even set goals, so if you write your goals down, you are more likely to achieve them. If you feel behind at this half-way point, know that it is not necessarily a predictor of your outcome. And for most goals, unlike a ball game, December 31st is not necessarily the final deadline.

For example, my goal to get my book into the hands of my editor before my birthday was just an arbitrary date. In January, six months seemed reasonable to get my manuscript ready for review, which would then give me six months to get it in print, thus completing my first book at 60. I set that goal because I’ve been working on my book long enough and I want to get on to my next book and the next. Life will go on if Finding Joy is not available for purchase until 2025, but having accomplished my mid-year goal gives me momentum to stay focused on getting it published this year.

If we don’t set some kind of timeline for ourselves, we can push our goals so far into the future that they lose their urgency. Whether our goals are to lose weight, get organized, enjoy more time with family, pay off credit cards, or write a book, we need to set a date, make a game plan, and create checkpoints along the way.

Getting back to the big rocks idea, let’s stay focused on what really matters. What are your 3-5 big rocks? What are your most important goals for this year? Focus on your big rocks. Give them most of your attention. Don’t ignore the pebbles or the sand, but don’t let the minor tasks keep you from accomplishing your big goals. Then consider the water. Are unnecessary tasks stealing your time and energy?

Everyone has distractions. We all have little things that seem urgent—those sand in the shoes annoyances we must take care of in order to maintain balance. What I am saying is to keep your eyes on your big rocks. For a season, you may need to let a few of the pebbles go. You may need to say no to a few things you like (the pebbles, the sand, and especially the water) in order to say yes to what you love (the big rocks). But focus on how good you will feel when you reach your weight loss goal or become debt free!

Let’s stay focused together. This is our mid-year check. I will check in again around the first week of October. If you would like to share your goals, your accomplishments, or how you are doing with your word for the year, please email me or comment below.

join the movement

Join the Movement

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This past weekend I had a party to celebrate the near completion of my book Finding Joy. I’ve been working on the book since January 2022 and it’s now in the hands of my editor. Presumably she will send it back all marked up in red. Then, after crying for a day, I will pull my big girl pants up and get to work on her suggestions. I will work for a couple of months cleaning up the manuscript and then focus on the publishing process.

If Finding Joy is in print by the end of the year, I will have accomplished one of my lifelong goals. If not, I will continue to revise and tweak ad nauseam and commit to doing whatever it takes to get Finding Joy in print as soon as possible.

At my party, I laughed and smiled so much my jaw ached. From the time my cakes arrived at 1:15 until I took my last guest home at 10:30, I marveled at the outpouring of love and support from those who took the time to help me celebrate. I also realized I would not have been able to pull off such a party without the help of my friend Janice, who chopped up all the vegetables and kept the serving dishes full.

Though I asked for no gifts, I received so many I couldn’t open them all until my guests had gone. Multiple bouquets of flowers filled my home with the sweet smells of summer. And gifts any writer or traveler would covet covered the table in my living room. To all who came, whether bearing gifts or not, “thank you for your support.”

At the end of the day, I thought about those of you who sent messages of encouragement and congratulations when I announced I had turned my manuscript over to my editor. And those of you who read my blogs support me by reading and sometimes even commenting on my stories. Many of you asked me when I thought my book might be finished and told me you can’t wait to read it. Some of you even asked if I would sign a copy for you. Wow! Even more have mentioned that you plan to come to my book launch or book signings. Others said you wished you lived closer and asked if my book would be available for purchase online. Your support overwhelms me sometimes.

Now as I write this, I want to say a special thank you to those of you who have been with me since I wrote my first blog about meeting Jane Friedman (Meeting A Mentor) on my birthday last year. Today as I turn 60 and post my 32nd blog, I am aware that some of you have read every single one of them. Some of you have even invited others to subscribe to my email list. That is what I call support. And for all of you, I am truly thankful.

To those of you who joined me mid-year or just this week, I appreciate your support as well. My mission is to spread the message that all can find joy if they are looking for it. And my hope is that you will not only find joy but join me in encouraging others to find their joy too. Together, I believe we can make finding joy a movement. Will you join me?

printer

Play the Day You are Given

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“Play the day you are given.”

Jon Acuff

“Play the day you are given.” That’s the advice Jon Acuff gave a few of us last week. I wrote it on a 3X5 card—Anne Lamott style. A couple of days passed, and I forgot about it when I needed the advice the most.

Jon told us even with all his goal setting and planning, he never has two days, two weeks, or two months alike. Sometimes the unexpected gets thrown at you and you have to just “play the day you are given.” Days don’t come wrapped in a perfectly square box with a red bow, but every day is a gift, and we should treat it as such.

I spent the weekend writing a blog. My cousin Nancy read it and said it was not in keeping with my finding joy theme. She was right. I had to abandon the blog and start anew. But what else could I write about? Although I would like to say I keep a running list of blog topics, I don’t. So far, ideas have come to me when it’s time to write.

 Also, last weekend, I received an e-mail from Andy Andrews with a copy of his new e-book called . . . get this . . . Finding Joy. After reading it, I felt compelled to write him a letter. Writing a letter to my favorite author proved challenge enough, but that I have still not hooked up the printer I bought in January made printing the letter an ordeal. My goal was to get it in the mail before the post office closed Monday.

Monday, I emailed the letter to my neighbors Steve and Mary. They did not receive it so we couldn’t print it at their house. I emailed it to my friend Vickie, who also did not receive it. Sitting with her in her living room, she got it when I resent it from my phone. Vickie magically squeezed it onto one page, making it look much better. Life was looking up, but when her printer didn’t print to our satisfaction, my hopes of getting it postmarked Monday were dashed. And I still had not gone for the afternoon bike ride for which I had been dressed since noon.

Frustrated yet grateful, I thanked Vickie for her help and went for a head-clearing evening ride. I called my sister Sandi, now involving yet another person with my mission. This letter was by no means urgent, but in my mind it was. Time was of the essence. I itched to tell Andy that I was also writing a book called Finding Joy. Though much different from his 17-page e-book, it shares the same name. My sister suggested another tweak and printed it. No problem! I signed it, stuffed it in the previously addressed envelope and dropped it in the mail before midnight. Mission accomplished!

Now I owe a big thank you to Steve, Vickie, and Sandi for their part in getting my letter to Andy. All three were working from home, yet they willingly helped me with my “urgent” project. That’s what I call love.

So, Monday around midnight, I finally sat down to write a new blog. My ideas fell flat. The writing seemed forced, painful even. Reluctantly, I saved what I had and went to bed, hoping for a revelation in the morning. Time was running out on yet another self-imposed deadline. My goal was to post a blog by Wednesday and still I had nothing.

Remarkably, as I rode my bike on Tuesday afternoon, the “play the day you are given” idea came back to me. As I climbed a hill, I knew I needed to share with you Jon Acuff’s simple suggestion, to “play the day you are given.” We can find the silver lining if we are looking for it. Although painfully aware that if I had a working printer, I would not have had such a frustrating Monday. However, had I printed it myself or had Steve received my email, Vickie would not have fit my letter on one page, nor would I have deleted the unnecessary sentence Sandi suggested. And . . . I would not have had a good story to tell you this week.

So, I would like to encourage you to always look for the silver lining and “play the day you are given.”

New Pickleball Courts

Enjoying Progress in My Own Backyard

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Progress happens whether we are watching or not. For the past few months, I’ve been riding my bike slowly for 45 minutes to an hour, five or six days a week. The goal is to provide maximum benefit to my cardiovascular system while delivering minimum damage to my deteriorating joints. About once a week, I find myself feeling like a visitor in my town as I ride through our growing Calhoun City Park. 

In 2019, while exploring South Dakota, I experienced a revelation. People drive or fly across the country to enjoy the wonders in other people’s backyard, but many of us don’t appreciate what is in our own. Since my return from that trip, I have made a concerted effort to discover what is in my own backyard—to explore and get involved in the north Georgia community when I am home. 

Several years ago, the recreation department added to our 225-acre park, a walking and biking path, more baseball and softball fields, a party pavilion, and a black and yellow playground set children never want to leave. More recently, a much-needed fenced-in dog park appeared.

The park already had a pool, tennis courts, ball diamonds, playground equipment, and pavilions when I moved here 36 years ago. This year, while I focused on getting a year’s supply of Vitamin D in Florida, the parks and recreation folks were busy improving our facilities once again. 

New pickleball courts were under construction on my first ride through the park in early May, and now this week they are almost complete. From the picture you can see the only things missing are the nets (and the players of course). It wouldn’t surprise me if the eight missing nets are there by the time I ride through the park this weekend. Having rallied for an hour in the Florida Keys with my “other brother Tom,” I admit I am a new pickleball convert. A rush of joy blew over me as I stopped to admire the fancy courts. 

My hope is that these new courts will stay busy with seasoned pickleball players and new converts like me over the coming months and years. I continued on my ride through the park, and my heart filled with joy as I passed a mom and dad walking with three young children in strollers, several couples, one of whom dropped hands to let me ride between them, three teenage girls taking glamor shots with their smartphones, two young guys on mountain bikes, and grandparents walking close to two young children laughing and running circles around the older couple. 

It does my heart good to see people out there enjoying nature, enjoying our park. When I heard the familiar happy birthday tune being sung to a five-year-old at the pavilion decorated with balloons and banners, I quietly sang along as I cruised by. 

Sometimes sadness envelopes me as I travel across town or across this great country of ours and encounter empty or near-empty parks and playgrounds. But on this sunny day in early June, my heart sang with gladness as many of my fellow Calhounites and I took advantage of the outdoor facilities we are so lucky to have in our progressing community.

The best way to say thank you to our parks and recreation departments across the nation is to use the facilities they have built for us. Who knows what fresh developments await, but for now, let’s enjoy the progress in our own backyard. Pickleball anyone?

High School Graduation

My heart is overflowing

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After two days of walking down memory lane, my heart is overflowing. Monday was the first Adairsville Elementary School Field Day I attended after my retirement, in which I did not know any of the elementary students. It made me sad that my last group of kindergarteners are all grown up. They are already finishing up their sixth-grade year at Adairsville Middle School. Not knowing the participants, though, gave me more time to visit with middle and high schoolers, teachers, other staff members, parents, and grandparents, who were there to help or to watch someone they love take part in the best day of the school year. Many wore shirts that said, “small town, Big Pride;” a perfect community motto for the town I have grown to love. What a joy it was to reconnect and take pictures with my people. 

Tuesday night was graduation for the class of 2024—the class who were finishing up their sixth-grade year when I retired in 2018. Most of them have grown a foot or two since I last saw them. Some I follow on Instagram, or have seen at basketball games, or around town, so I recognized them when I saw them on the football field after the ceremony. Some looked like a big sister or big brother of the fifth graders I taught, but others changed so much I had to ask their names. Several had so many honors cords around their necks, I’m sure they will need a massage after carrying the weight for so many hours. I could not be prouder of this group. What a joy it was to see them on such a memorable occasion. They will represent Adairsville well whether they leave or come back home, as the Salutatorian suggested.

The Salutatorian spoke of the class never being together like this again and encouraged her classmates to leave as friends, as an Adairsville class of 2024 family. When she reiterated a common phrase, “once a Tiger, always a Tiger” I felt the love. Thirty-six years ago, this community captured my heart. Through the years, they have embraced me as their own and made me feel as welcome as those who were born and raised here. 

The Valedictorian used Tennyson’s poem, Ulysses, that begins “I am part of all that I have met . . .” her mother and her grandmother used in their Adairsville High School valedictorian speeches. Having taught her mother when she was a sixth grader my first year here in 1988-89, I beamed with pride. What amazing families come from Adairsville, I thought. So many successful graduates, whom I had the honor of teaching when they were young and impressionable, flooded my mind. 

On the field, I hugged dozens of former students and their parents, yet missed seeing so many more. One student from that same first class of 1988 surprised me on the field. She popped up in front of me in her black robe with adorable short blonde hair and asked if I remembered her. I stared at her for the longest as she gave me hints until I finally made the connection. I vaguely remembered hearing she was teaching at the high school, but it still blew me away to see her standing in front of me. The last time I had seen her, she wore her hair to her waist. Now she says she has her specialist’s degree and has been teaching at the high school for 20 years. How did that happen? I must have blinked.

The final former student I connected with made my already full heart nearly explode. I had him for his fifth and sixth-grade years and later taught his son, standing nearby in his green gown, and his middle children. When I told him I was traveling and writing about my travels, he said to let him know when I finished my book, Finding Joy. He would absolutely be at my book launch. When the teacher mentioned she had heard that I got baptized in Florida, he inquired. I shared my story. He hugged me and asked if he could pray for me. Right there on the football field, one of my former students prayed the most beautiful prayer anyone has ever prayed for me as the teacher and I bowed our heads. Who does that? Well, I guess Adairsville people do that. That’s what they call family. I never needed to leave home to find joy. And that’s why my heart is overflowing.

Friends at a restaurant

What are the odds?

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My new friend Dave and I are standing at the end of Dave and Sally’s lot on my last full day at Outdoor Resorts in Long Key, Florida. We are looking down the street and Dave asks if I had met their neighbors, Deb and Laura, across the street. I tell him I hadn’t, and he says I will have to come back next winter to meet them.

“They just left. They have been staying on that nice big lot right there on the water since we bought this lot ten years ago. You’ll have to have them tell you the story about last year when they had a 5th wheel delivered to them. It was quite an ordeal to get it out of there when it was time to leave.” 

Fast forward ten days to when I pull into site 171 at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville, Florida, my last campground before home. I needed a couple of days to be by myself to ride and write, mostly to write. As I backed into my new spot, two women sat outside watching me and asked where I had come from. 

“Well, technically from the Keys, but it took me ten days to get here. I made stops in the Everglades, West Palm Beach, Merritt Island, and Daytona to visit friends on my way home.”

“Where in the Keys?”

“Halfway between Key Largo and Key West.”

“Like Long Key . . . Marathon … that area?”  

“Exactly like Long Key. Yes!” 

“Ever heard of Outdoor Resorts?”

“No way! That’s exactly where I just came from! Planned to be there for four weeks, but ended up staying six. Didn’t want to leave. Great people! Have you been there or something?”

“I’ve been going there since the 70’s, but we didn’t make it there this year. We have friends coming over here in about 30 minutes who just came from there. Do you know Deb and Laura?” 

“Are you serious? Do you know Dave and Sally? They just told me the day before I left that I needed to meet Deb and Laura. They’re coming over here?” 

“Yes. They are coming over for dinner.” 

So, I go for a ride around the park. When I return, I introduce myself to my neighbors Sally and Sharon, as well as their friends Deb and Laura, who had just arrived from the Keys. These women met at Outdoor Resorts ten years ago and have been friends ever since. We talk until dark.

In the morning, Deb suggests taking the ferry over St. Johns River and riding my bike to another camper park over there. Instead of writing all afternoon, I spend the day exploring, enjoying dinner with my new friends at a Thai restaurant, and finishing with a walk to the lake for the sunset.

The morning we were to leave, we exchanged phone numbers, and they were excited to follow my blog and keep in touch. 

Beginning with the story about getting their fifth wheel off their lot, I know my new friends have hundreds of travel stories to tell me—stories I would never get to hear if I had not met Ray in Rhode Island who invited me to Outdoor Resorts, where I connected with Dave and Sally. What are the odds? If you ask me why I haven’t finished my book Finding Joy, I will say it’s because I’m always out there finding joy. 

Or in this case: finding Sally and Sharon . . . and Deb and Laura.

City Park Fountain

What’s so special about a smile?

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This may be my first blog where the picture doesn’t exactly match my story. Well, that’s because it felt a little too weird even to me to ask a stranger if I could get a picture of him smiling as he walked down the sidewalk. Don’t think for a minute that I didn’t spend the afternoon kicking myself for not being brave enough to do it, though. Let me explain. 

Monday, I left the Florida Keys thinking about what I might write about next. Tuesday, I met a few friendly people at the Everglades National Park sign and wondered if I could make a story out of my encounter with Leslie from California and Randy and Randall from Indiana. They became a Facebook post. 

Tuesday night I arrived at my friend Zuzana’s in West Palm Beach. She introduced me to four French Canadian friends she calls “the Canarians.” She also introduced me to her friends Ivan and Marta and her friend and realtor, Yadi, and her husband, Eric. Even though it was great to meet them, still no story came to mind.

Now, in the city of Rockledge in Brevard County, Florida, I’m slowly making my way back home to Georgia. I’m parked at a long-term campground near my friend Esther, whom I met on my first trip to Florida in 2019 and visited again in 2020. From here, I plan to meet up with Brad and Maria in Daytona, also friends from my 2019 and 2020 trips to the Sunshine State. 

Next, I will catch up with a fellow physical education teacher from Calhoun, Georgia, who has recently retired and moved to Florida. As interesting as all these people are, and as hard as I have been thinking about sharing something about them in a blog, no eureka idea has emerged  . . . until this morning, when I least expected it. 

As I was riding along the sidewalk, I came upon the nicest city park (see photo). After circling the park and riding through a nearby neighborhood, I turned around to head back to my campsite. Upon approaching an intersection, I slowed for a man on a bike, crossed the street, and called to another guy who was just stepping onto the sidewalk. When I called out “on your right” the tall, thin guy with an air pod in his ear turned, stepped back, and gave me the biggest, kindest, toothiest smile I had ever seen on a bike trail. 

It was at that moment I thought I wanted to tell you about him and what that smile did for me. I rode another mile or so, just thinking about his reaction when I startled him. He just smiled. That’s all he did, and yet I couldn’t stop thinking about how much that smile meant. When I turned around to ride back, I hoped he would still be walking down the path. He was. 

I stopped and told him how much that smile meant to me. It told me a lot about him as a person. His smile made me like him and think highly of him. He thanked me and we both moved on. We didn’t even exchange names, and here I am writing about him at midnight merely because he smiled as I whizzed by him on the sidewalk somewhere in Brevard County. 

If you are wondering if a smile makes a difference, wonder no more. Smiles are free to give and they don’t take any more energy than a frown. If given a choice, choose today to give a smile not just to the ones you love, but to those who cross your path. And if you give enough of them away, it may just lift your own spirits too. To the guy in Brevard County who gave me a smile when he could have just as easily given me the finger, this blog is for him.

What’s so special about a smile? A smile can change the world, or at least the way we view it.

Pool Volleyball

The people here are great, eh?

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Isn’t it fascinating how little of a connection we need to become friends with people? This story begins with my new Canadian friends. Myrna, I met at pool volleyball at Outdoor Resorts at Long Key, Florida (ORLK). A couple of days later, when I arrived at the St. Patty’s Day party, she invited me to sit with her. She grabbed a chair for me and introduced me to her husband, Ernie, her cousin Anita, and Anita’s husband, Tom, all from Ontario. I told them I visited Ontario on my first trip in my motorhome and that my dad had relatives there. 

When I said I could remember Tom’s name because that was my brother’s name, Tom said, “and he’s your favorite brother, right?” 

I said, “yes that’s what I tell him all the time.” 

Then, of course, Tom said, “he’s your only brother, right?” 

Somehow, in all the laughter, Tom became my “other favorite brother” and the other three became my “Canadian cousins.” After the usual questions of where are you from, when did you get here, what’s your story, and how did you find out about Outdoor Resorts?, Anita said, “the people here are great, eh?” I had to agree! My new cousins got me dancing (I don’t dance) and we exchanged pictures and phone numbers. They showed me a great time at the party. After that, we saw each other nearly every day, playing volleyball, ping-pong, bocce ball, pickleball, and even went to a play together at the Marathon Community Theater. We also enjoyed sunset chats and neighborhood walks until the night before they left.

Another friend I met at pool volleyball is Sheila. Sheila is Beautiful with a capital B, inside and out. She is from Michigan, so having been born in Michigan myself, it was an instant connection. Despite enduring the recent tragic deaths of three loved ones, Sheila maintains a cheery, infectious disposition. Everyone loves her. Sheila went home to snow a few days later, but we will certainly stay connected.

When I met Dave, he looked at me and said, “You need to know, I’m legally blind, so if the volleyball comes to us, go ahead and hit it. Don’t assume I’m going to see it.” 

Dave told me he is from Bloomington, Indiana. Because I got a master’s degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, I knew we would be friends. One day I stopped at Dave’s lot, and we talked about writing, riding, his eyes, ownership at Outdoor Resorts, family, you name it. He and his wife, Sally, took me to church on Easter Sunday. They introduced me to Pastor Brad, who baptized me in the canal of the Atlantic by the church the next week. Such special people!

Everyone I have met at ORLK has been over-the-top friendly. Even though some have wintered here for 5, 10, 20, or even 30 years, they have included me as one of their own. Snowbirds could be cliquish, but they are the opposite, as they welcome everyone. 

Thanks to Ray (A Ray Of Sunshine) for inviting me to Outdoor Resorts; I have a park full of new friends. As I prepare to leave, two weeks after my original departure date, I say a big thank you to all who made my stay so special. Because of you, not only do I not want to leave, but you also have me seriously considering coming back. You are truly special people. 

Yes, Anita, I must agree, the people at ORLK are great! Beautiful inside and out, eh? (PS, I know you told me Canadians never write out that word, but it’s my new favorite word. It will take me a while to learn when and how to use it. Maybe I can get some personal coaching on Canadian speak when I come visit you via Indiana and Michigan, eh?)

Sunrise at Outdoor Resorts Beach

Eternal Hope

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As I watched the sunrise on the beach this Easter morning, the rising of the Son and the story of the empty tomb gave way to the concept of new beginnings. March 31 is the 91st day of the year and marks the end of the first quarter of 2024. It’s also the day many of my new snow-bird friends, including Ray, are heading home refreshed and ready to start anew. Some think of Easter as the beginning of spring, which spurs a fresh outlook on life—new hope.

 Looking back, are you where you had hoped you would be three months ago? In my New Year’s post, One Word, I encouraged you to pick one word to focus on for the year. If you picked a word for 2024, today is the time to reflect. I’ve also mentioned setting goals in the areas of career, finance, relationships, health, and fun, as suggested by Jon Acuff. April 1st marks the day to review or renew your goals, promises to yourself and others. This day is a chance to take pride in your accomplishments and commit to staying the course, or an opportunity to start again. In March Madness terms, it’s the end of the first quarter. The score at the end of the first quarter or even the half may or may not reflect the final score. There is always hope that one team can turn it around or the other can keep the streak going.

 In the Starters Day blog I posted on MLK Day, I encouraged you to either keep going or to start again. If your word was “organize,” and you planned to clean out the closets, drawers, and garage, but life has gotten in the way, it’s not too late. You can still get it done in the remaining nine months. Hoping to lose weight and it seems you’ve found a few extra pounds? Start again. If your goal in January was to read through the Bible in 2024, you should be through the first five books of the Old Testament and the first four books of the New Testament (or the equivalent). Not finished with Genesis and Mathew? You can resolve to double up on your reading, or more realistically, maybe you change the one-year goal to a two-year goal. If your aim is to run a Marathon on Thanksgiving Day, and you aren’t running a 5K yet, does that mean you quit? By no means! You can always adjust your training plan. April 1st is the day to reevaluate your goals, not quit them. Don’t quit. Never quit if it is a legitimate goal.

Entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, taught that “everything affects everything.” Successful people start by doing something, and it’s best to start the minute we read or hear about a new idea. If we wait until tomorrow or next week, the passion may no longer be there. 

Jim would say one positive habit affects other aspects of our lives. Get your health in check and your relationships improve. When your relationships improve, your business grows. When your business grows, you have more money to give away. Giving makes your heart feel good. And when your heart feels good, there is no telling what you can accomplish. 

So, whether you picked a focus word for the year, or set goals in five areas like Jon Acuff suggests, know that everything you do connects with everything you do. Whether you have been consistently plugging away since the first of the year or have allowed distractions to get in your way like me (i.e., pool volleyball, cornhole, and sunset chats) make today a new day. Focus on something as small as eating one apple a day, or as big as writing about riding your bike in all 50 states, but let’s stay focused together.

Everything you do matters. Won’t it be exciting to see where our consistent steps get us by day 183 and then again on New Year’s Eve, 2024? May we all have hope for the future as we reflect on our past. It’s not too late. It’s just the end of the first quarter. Let’s keep the hope going together.

I’d love to hear how things are going for you. Please email me or comment below.

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