By Tim Kearns
“New Year - New You,” 2020 is upon us already! How is it the older you get the faster time seems to move? We are at a point in the year where you reassess the previous year and establish some accomplishable goals for the new one. When I look back on 2019, I think about the things that happened, changes in my life, my family’s life, and how those things affected us. This year we lost my Father-in-law a month before I gave my daughter’s hand in marriage; two dramatic changes in the family dynamics, holidays, family get-togethers, and life in general, going forward. Also, in 2019, my grandson turned one and I turned sixty; two opposite ends of the life cycle.
A wise Southern Gentleman once told me, “One thing constant in life is change.” Truer words have never been spoken and it’s what you do with those changes that makes you a better man. I think life and relationships are ever-evolving and changing. For example, my relationship with my wife, which is going into its thirty-ninth year, has changed because we are much different as individuals today than we were in our twenties. When we first married, our focus was on establishing ourselves in the job market, buying a home, and starting a family. Jobs, transfers, promotions, children, illness, and everything in between, change the dynamics of your life. Then as your children grow and change, your focus and priorities also change. The way you handle those changes as a couple and as a family is what will keep you all on the same path; changes can also create a diversion that takes you into a totally different direction if you’re not careful. Staying on the same path together is not always easy. In fact, there are times it’s downright tough! Being grounded and focused on love and the goals you have, as a couple, will help keep you both moving in the same positive direction together. January 2020 has this Southern Gentleman focused on grandchildren, moving towards retirement, and staying healthy.
Always the goal setter, I enjoy picking some annual athletic goals and races as a way of staying in top shape. With one of my annual goals as remaining continuously conscience of my health, it has helped to create a beneficial result when I also stay motivated to train! Triathlons have been a part of my life since 1984, and I see no reason to change that. In fact, the racers who compete in the seventy years old and above age groups are great inspirations to me. At sixty years old, I’m not as fast or competitive as I once was, I don’t train as hard or as long as I once did, but I still dedicate hours of my day to my health and well-being. Even if our bodies aren’t what they once were, they still carry our souls, our courage, and our strength. These are such important components of our lives as we move into a new year.
I hope 2020 finds all the Southern Gentleman that read my column are in good spirits and living their lives to the fullest! Change is inevitable. Create goals, stick with those goals, and as life changes adapt to those changes!
