Birthday Shuffle Year V - Day 12 - iPod Medley

When your husband surprises you with this

for your birthday...

One song just isn't going to be enough...

So my three favorite "I love life" songs for today are:

Good to Be Alive by Jason Gray

Living in the Moment by Jason Mraz

and

Best Day of My Life by American Authors

Cheers to what this next year of life is

going to bring and feeling thankful

for the blessings I have received this last year...

On the Threshold of a New Year...

My favorite author Tennyson one wrote:

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come,

whispering "It will be happier..."

Last year at this time I was writing about my hopes and dreams for the upcoming year and thinking about my resolutions;  those I accomplished, those I didn't accomplish, and those I would set forth for the next year.  I wrote about career, travel and family.  I looked forward to a new dog, continuing work on our new home, and darn if that cheetah didn't elude me again.

But, all I have to do to remember the excitement and joy that this last year brought is to look at the over 3500 photos I took this year.  Albeit, about 1500 are probably devoted to just the dogs.  Within a year, we went from a 3 cat household to a three cat, two dog, two goat, two guinea, 13 chicken household.  And, that alone came with it's own share of joys and sadness.

We traveled:  from Tucson, Arizona to Mendocino, California.  Trips to Laughlin, San Francisco, Sacramento.  Disneyland for my birthday!  Camping during the summer to Lakeview, Oregon and down to Hat Creek following the fly boys.  Back to Medford and then down to my home town to get my mother who spent time at our home this year on two separate occasions.

The house got a new look from the outside as work continued.  And, we are so close to finally finishing one room.  Doesn't sound like much, but when you've got a massive home improvement project, it's one room at a time.

Career wise, I started doing shifts at the larger hospital in the area.  I continued as the pre-hospital coordinator and on the county emergency medical committee.  And, I've taken on several projects both in EMS and at my hospital which will continue to add to my leadership roles.  I'm still on several committees with my national organization, and continue to teach and lecture within my group.

As for next year...
 - to run a 5K.  One of my friends at work has challenged me to get back into running.  I've got new shoes.  I've got the Couch to 5K app on my iPhone.  I think I'm set.
 - to get more organized.  For some reason, I used to be the most organized OCD person ever, and that's been sorely lacking in a lot of areas.  I need to find my focus and get coordinated once again.
 - to finish a short story.  I've got so many ideas and partially started projects going that I know I need to stop and focus and finish one... that will lead to two... then three... wash, rinse, repeat
 - to continue to increase the presence of God in my life.  Not that I need any more projects, but to contribute more of my time to the Church.  If anything, to get back into the habit of daily prayer and meditation.
 - to eke out every last bit of joy and fun in the things I do.  We've got several trips planned, and I intend to make next year's photo count even bigger... which might mean I need a new MacBook... darn!
 - and to just lay the foundations for a healthier, happier me... I think that will do the most to change the way I live my life during the upcoming year...

Happy New Years, and may you achieve all your hopes and dreams!!

Welcome 2013!

Birthday Shuffle a Deux #20

Linkin Park - In the End

I like this song on so many levels.  I like the lyrics.  I like the beat.  I like the video.

The song is based on the songwriter's struggles growing up.  Somewhere, when I was a teen, I remember someone telling me that 10 years from now, none of this will really matter.  And, looking back now, they were so right.  The drama and the angst and the confusion of just trying to survive through high school, and even my first couple of years in college... none of it really mattered.  Sure, those experiences have helped to form the person I am today, but in some respects if I had just lived life  in the moment and not let the little things get me down, I think I would have done some things just that much differently.  Sigh.  You can't go back, but you can always look forward... and, in a way, I think that's what this song is about.

An Extraordinary Life

Most people remember the TV show in the early 70's called "Emergency!"  It's where paramedic firefighters were showcased for the first time.  What I didn't know is that the character of Johnny Gage was based on a real-life firefighter named James O. Page.  Not only is he recognized as one of the forefathers of EMS, he is generally considered a gifted writer, teacher, and historian.

Today at our NAEMSP conference, the Memorial lecture was dedicated to him, and the speaker talked about his life.  Wow.  It got me to thinking about how you learn about these amazing people and hear about the extraordinary things they do and wonder how they did it.  How does someone live the extraordinary life?

It made me start thinking about the movie "Dead Poet's Society" and how influential that movie was to me at the time... about to start college... thinking of challenging what I felt to be my parents' ideas of what my life should be like.... wondering how I was going to lead my own extraordinary life.  This scene is my favorite:





The lecture ended with a quote which was found in the wallet of James O. Page when he died suddenly. Given that it's a brand new year, I felt it appropriate to think of this as a mantra for the upcoming year... what will you do to make your life extraordinary?

‎"I want to appreciate the time when moments were made into memories. I want to embrace them, cherish them, and never forget that they come so few and far between. I know that wherever life takes me, these memories will always follow. They remind me of what's truly important. It's not just life, but living. It's the journey, the destination, and all the little points in between. And I must admit, I like what I see." - author unknown