Happy New Year

 Happy 2022, everyone!  

It has been quite some time since I've updated this blog.  Since my last post, I have certainly driven some incredible cars, eaten some delectable chow, and done so much more, but I have not been diligent in translating all (or even some) of that to words.  Cue resolution #1:  I will update this blog at least twice a week.  

In prior years, I have come up with laundry lists of resolutions, reflections on the prior year, thoughts on how our world can be made into a better place, etc.  Doing so seems a bit futile this year, given that so many of us are consciously and/or subconsciously recovering from the collective trauma that has engulfed us from March 2020 through and including the present time.  As such, I will share but two ideas that I feel would help all of us, individually and collectively:

1.  We need to open to the possibility of being in the wrong, and if we are in the wrong, we need to forgive ourselves and then learn from it.  It's human nature to want to be "right," to want to win arguments, to want to be a "better" person than someone else.  That said, none of us are perfect, and we are all going to be "wrong" sometimes.  How best to handle the inevitable screw-ups that lie in our futures?   We need to be kind to ourselves and stop expecting absolute perfection.  And then we need to do the work to open our minds and learn.  Only then can we grow as people and, by extension, as a society.  

2.  We need to take better care of ourselves.  This one is complex and, in some ways, easier said than done.  This can also be viewed many different ways, but the angle I'd like to focus on today is that of asking for help.  It's human nature to give off the aura that we "have it all together," whether or not we actually do.  This is especially true when our past experiences of asking for help have been met with indifference or refusal.  That said, if we find ourselves stuck in patterns and/or reactions that paralyze us from growth and/or damage our relationships with others (be these relationships familial, platonic, romantic, or anything in between), we need to seek out the help that we need.  The help that we need might look different from person to person, but asking for it is crucial, and so is accepting the reality that there is absolutely nothing wrong with seeing a therapist.  Only once we take that step of seeking help can we begin to break toxic cycles (particularly those that have lasted for generations), and only then can we even come close to being the best people we can be, not only for ourselves, but for those near and dear to us.  

If we all can take even one baby step each toward (a) opening our minds to new learning and growth, (b) seeking out help when we need it, and (c) encouraging someone near and dear to us to be kind to themselves, I think that not only would we as individuals reap some pretty damn great rewards, humanity as a whole would benefit substantially as well, and our world might look a little less bleak than it does at the present time.  

Let's do what we can to make this a great year!  

Be well,

DG