GETTING SOME "SNOW TIRES" FOR THE MIND
I think we all need to pay more attention to the stability of our lives in the shifting year ahead.
My wife, Sherry, and I have spent the past 40 years living in the steamy tropics. This winter, we found ourselves in the Pacific Northwest due to an extended family health emergency. At first, the cold cut through our thin clothing, but then we got our game face on. Now we’re outfitted in cozy wool and down so, as the song says, “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!”
Being stateside for a few months also put us in touch with the winds of change blowing relentlessly across the Western world.
Politics, media, the economy, the growing number of wars, and the rise of the scary parts of AI are all coming together to make the next 12 months a perfect storm. I think it’s safe to announce that “A Winter storm advisory is now in affect for all of 2024.”
The thing is, we can’t control the storms. They come and go when they choose, but we can control our actions and get ahead of the weather so we’re not living such a fearful reactive life.
In 2024 we need to spend much more intentional time ensuring our stability. We need something like snow tires for our minds.
I see four rows of “studs” on our life’s “snow tires”
I was in Spokane, Washington, last month and got my first look at a city where every car had snow tires in anticipation of the coming snows. It hit me that we need something like that for our mind.
So I’ve been working on a video to describe what I want to explore, content-wise, in 2024. I’ve outlined 20 videos I want to make centered around these four crucial factors in being well-grounded in the year ahead.
Practical Preparations
The year 2024 is certain to have excess emotional drama. No need to let this wind have its way with us.
Get some books and chocolates and pile up that firewood. Check on the neighbors and see how you can all work together.
It might be a good idea to make some policies about how much time we’re going to spend watching the “news” (it’s really not that at all) and doomscrolling on social media feeds.
A 30-minute walk every day wouldn’t hurt and why not have someone over for dinner once a week?
Some people are going to have to double their anxiety meds this year. Others are going to spend more time face-to-face with friends, start a new side business, and take an online course.
When Spring finally comes, they’ll be stronger for the season they just passed through because of how they choose to spend it.
On a Personal Note
Sherry and I are determined not to let this year destabilize us. We’re going to dig deeper than ever before to make sure our marriage, our health, our finances, our actions, and our relationships are all lined up with the Lord’s pattern for living.
I hope you’ll join us in discussing these things here on the substack in the chat section. If we try and have a discussion on FB and other public spaces “the jerks” will come to our party and say mean things. That’s why we set up this space for our deeper conversations. We own this space and we get to set the rules. :-) Welcome friend! Let’s enjoy this season together. Pleasse invite your friends to join us using the link below.