Panda's New Years Rambelings

windwalker

I need an Adventure
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Messages
6,477
Tomorrow we can truly say is the first day of the rest of our lives. I for one have some changes I want to make. New Years, is our traditional time for new beginnings. I want to put more intensity into everything I do. I want to strive to be the best I can be in every part of my life. I want to be the best person, the best husband, the best athlete and the best friend that I'm capable of being. I want to live, train, love, even laugh with more passion. I want this to be a not a New Year where I did everything new but the year I started doing everything better.

Can the decisions you make today make a difference in your life? Sure they can. When you can believe that your life has meaning and potential, you can go forth toward your destiny with the confidence that you are worthy. The important thing is to make sure your new goals are realistic. If you put impossible demands on your life you are setting your self up for failure. Some people unconsciously do that on purpose because they don't believe in themselves and expect failure. So when they do fail they can say it was just to much.

What you can do is make a commitment to change your attitude first and then your actions. If you do everything you do with the confidence that, if you do it, it's worth doing and it's worth the best you have to give. So many people do the minimum necessary to get through each day. Most of those people don't take much pride in anything. Be more like a craftsman that makes things and considers each of their creations worthy of their best efforts.

The people who stand out from the crowd are not always the most beautiful or the most talented but the people who live everyday with passion and desire to be the best they can be. There is a saying that "Hard work will beat talent, if talent doesn't work hard". That is true for everything we do, if we give it our best then it will always be enough. There is never shame in failing when you gave it all you had to give. That lesson is one that athletes must always remember. If you held nothing back and came up short then you were victorious regardless of the score.

Thank you for reading.

Intense Panda
 
Panda, your words have special weight for me this morning. I opened the newspaper and discovered a former student of mine has died. He was 24. Because he had cystic fibrosis, he lived every day to the fullest, finishing his college education and getting an exciting job, even though we all knew that his life would be short.

I had him in homeroom my second year teaching. He would be out for extended periods to be hospitalized in Philly at the Children's hospital. When he returned after one such absence, I told him I was glad to have him back and asked when he was planning to make up what he missed. He looked confused--missed? It was just homeroom--what did he miss? I told him my roster said I got 10 minutes with him a day, and I intended to take them. He got a good laugh--I think a lot of people treated him with kid gloves, and I treated him like every one else. One time he was in the hospital in Philly and I was covering a hockey game out there at night. I surprised him with a visit--I knew his parents would not be there because he had younger siblings. I sat and watched tv with him for a little bit and surprised him with a gift box given to me by a pro hockey team I covered--autographed pucks and shirts and a replica jersey. I offered to sneak him out with me in a pile of laundry, too, but we decided it would be best to leave him there to watch the game on tv. His mom told me later that he hung the shirts (one autographed by all of us at school AND by the hockey players, the other a hockey shirt with just player autographs) from his IV poles. He made the best of every situation.

A few years ago when he was first job was listed in the business section of the paper, I hung it on my wall as a reminder.

Today, even though we knew it was coming, I still feel such a loss. And I know that he wouldn't want me to mope about it, but to live my life with the passion that he did.

It always hurts to lose a student, but this one was special to me. My heart goes out to his family, and I am reminded on this day that greatness comes from within.

Thank you, Panda. See you in a week.
 
Panda, Your ramblings always encourage me to think and improve my life. :goodvibes
Just this week a good friend received a liver transplant (she was in total liver failure) and another underwent a double mastectomy. They are both doing fantastic! I plan to be even more thankful for my life, my family, my health, and to quit putting off doing things I've always wanted to do.

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life but it also could be the last, so I want to make every day count.

Happy New Year's everyone!
 
Wow. Thank you for some very inspiring words to go into the new year!

I lost my dad this year. He was my hero. He fought in Korea, Vietnam, and some other places they don't talk much about. He also battled cancer for 13 years. He never complained. He never felt sorry for himself. He just kept on fighting.

Running marathons has taught me that I am alot like my dad. I don't give up easy. I may not be the best and I am definately not the fastest but I work hard.

I set my goals high this year and life battled back. I didn't succeed at everything I set out to do - I didn't break 2 hours on a half. But I did get pretty darn close and I did PR. And I finished 2 races even when injury and illness (and common sense) should have stopped me.

Its going to be hard to set goals for this new year. I am just not sure which way I want to go. I am a little burnt out and that worries me.

Thanks again for the inspiration.
 

Thanks Panda.

I've been in a real funk tonight. I don't really like New Year's Eve very much (never really saw the point of it as a holiday), but I think that the real reason I'm in a bad mood is that with our unexpected new arrival my life has just changed really drastically and I'm still getting used to it. While it is a good change it is still a big one, and I find myself struggling with it from moment to moment. Standing on the brink of a new year has brought all of my different emotions to the forefront, and I don't feel at all like "partying"!

Your words - and everyone's responses - have helped. I can embrace the future, keep creating what I want for my life and my family's life, and also have space for LOTS of different emotions about it.

Thanks, and here's to an amazing 2009!
 
Kira, sometimes the hardest thing we do is face each new day. Our time between waking and once again sleeping is endless. I don't party either on New Years, but I'm gonna party with my homies at the WDW next week.

I'm gonna party and celebrate the few things in our lives we can truely call our own, our health, fitness and sanity. Each one fragile and sometimes elusive.

Party Panda:hippie:
 
Wonderful words to ponder on Panda, thank you!

Allyson
 
Nice Ramblings, Sir Panda!

You are the Man! Happy New Year and Best wishes for a great 2009.
 
...Your ramblings always encourage me to think and improve my life. :goodvibes ...Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life but it also could be the last, so I want to make every day count.

Happy New Year's everyone!
Ditto! I'd like to remember this each day I don't quite get there.
 
Great Words. I need to remember that I can live each day to the fullest. There are some days that I find myself just getting through. Not because anything is bad, just being lazy!

Didn't party last night but I did stay up past midnight! YAHOO!

see everyone is a few days.
Duane
 












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