2010: Begin Again . . . Again!

Five months. That’s all that’s left in 2010. The year is more than half over. And I’m starting August with a nice, big serving of humble pie! Hmmm, hmmm good.

Why humble pie? Well, first it’s low in calories and has no fat!

Also because I’m nowhere near where I want to be by the time 2011 rolls around. If you’ve read this blog in the past, you may remember that back in January I said “this year I don’t want a resolution; I want a REVOLUTION!”

I also said, “I have no expectation of immediate wholesale change. But step-by-step I will move in a new direction with an understanding that at the end of this year I will be a better person.”

Baby steps have been the order of the day so far! Now it’s time to start taking giant steps and wrap up the year on a high note. I’m going to sharing a lot in the days, weeks and months ahead. But here’s a quick overview of the Revolution so far.

Spirituality: Wow! What a year so far. I’ve read many books, checked out a lot of things online and I have grown. I’m working through Unity Church’s Quest series with a friend of mine. It challenges me to think about spirit in new ways, and that’s great. My personal beliefs have evolved and will likely continue to do so. Right now, I think it’s best if I describe myself as a secular humanist. It seems to come closest to describing where my mind is at.

I’ve also committed to attending the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship in Lethbridge. I had attended for several months, then took a break for several months to process things. Now I’m back. In fact, I’m speaking at the first service after the summer break! That’ll be Sept. 12 and you’re invited to attend if you wish. More on that later!

Most importantly, I’ve come to realize that life is more rewarding with friendships and family. (I think I’ll have another serving of humble pie right about now. Good thing it’s fat-free.) I have been negligent in maintaining, building and fostering friendships and for that I am truly sorry.

While material wealth is nice, our real riches are found in friendships and families. I’ve let many such riches slip through my fingers over the years. Growing up in a military family, combined with my personality type, is part of the reason for my neglect. It’s easy to reach a point where you stop working on friendships. For me, grades 1-3 were in one school, grade 4 in another, 5 and 6 in another, 7 in another, 8 in another, 9-11 in another and finally 12 in yet another. Different schools in different towns and even in different countries. Letting relationships slide can become habit forming.

But revolution can break habits and create new patterns of behaviour. So I plan to connect and reconnect with friends old and new. Fortunately, I’ve come across a very cool and personalized way to do that! I’ll be sharing more about that in the near future.

Health: Well, this is one area that still needs a lot of work. I have a goal weight in mind for the end of the year, but I’ve done little to reach it. My weight has gone down, then back up. Now I need to focus. I carry most of the extra pounds around my middle . . . the worst place to store fat. It tends to lead to greater risk of heart problems. So corrected that will be high on the list for the next five months.

Finances. Right now, they’re still not what I want. But I’m putting a plan into action to start moving in the right direction. More on that to come.

Basically, there’s been a great deal of research and reading leading up to now . . . the time to implement. It’s never to late to begin again. If things aren’t going quite as you’d like, you’re invited to join me and still make it 2010: Begin Again.

Photo: New emphasis on family . . . me choking my eldest son, Devon, at my Aunt Betty's place after the Magrath parade on July 24.

It's About Time

For me, it's 2010: Begin Again. But even though committing to revolution more than resolution, sometimes the past continues to live on in the mind.

The brain is a weird and wonderful thing. It amazes me that it can store the strangest memories for years, then suddenly spring them lose on you when you least expect it. This morning was a classic example for me.

Jingles for TV shows and commercials seem to have the power to embed themselves deep in the mind. For me, they can work their way to the surface at unexpected times. I’m sure something triggers it – something too subtle to register – and suddenly it’s like I’m back in time and music and lyrics are playing in my head. OK, OK, so I’m actually singing along to the soundtrack of my mind.

This morning it was a flashback to a horrible TV show from the 1960s. From out of nowhere I found myself singing:

“It’s about time, it’s about space,
About two men in the strangest place.
Wait ‘til they see what is in sight,
Is it good luck, or is it good night.
It’s about two astronauts
It’s about they’re fate.
It’s about a woman
And her prehistoric mate.”

The lyrics aren't complete, but that's the section I remember. And, weah, the show was called It’s About Time. It came out a time of very silly shows on TV. Things like the Beverly Hillbillies, the Munsters, Gilligan’s Island and more. The premise was sillier than any of the aforementioned, with the possible exception of The Munsters. It’s About Time was a comedy about two astronauts who travel back in time and hook up with a tribe of cavemen. Whacky adventures ensue. Dumb. Really dumb.

But the power of the theme song makes it live on in my mind.

Radio jingles do the same thing. When I was in Grades 1-3, I lived at the air force base near Summerside, P.E.I. Every school day Mom would have breakfast prepared and I’d eat at about the same each morning. Mom also had the radio playing at the same time. And I swear I heard the same radio ads morning after morning.

Now I’m 52 years old and I still remember:

J-E-N-K-I-N-S
Jenkins is the very best.
Beef and lobster, chicken, too.
Jenkins is the best for you.
Shop Jenkins, Jenkins
Jenkins of P.E.I.

Jenkins doesn’t exist anymore. I know. A couple of years ago, when the jingle was going through my mind, I contacted the editor of the newspaper in Summerside to see if it was still around. Nope. It’s long gone. But it lives on in my mind – along with the memory of the first time I had cinnamon toast. That was also one morning in P.E.I. while having breakfast before school.

Cinnamon toast and Jenkins. Two memories intertwined and linked by a simple radio jingle.

The mind really is a weird and wonderful thing.