I went for a run yesterday in torrential rain, which turned into a walk after my clothes and shoes were weighed down. I intentionally went farther than usual and took my time getting drenched. When I finally made it home, I was shivering and couldn’t feel my hands. I changed my clothes and shoes and then went for a ride on the Peloton bike. By the time I finished my workout on the bike, my clothes were washed and my shoes were drying. Today it’s not raining, but I am past my deadline for this article. I have to complete this before my run, and I will.
Life will always throw us some challenges and we can either make excuses for why we can’t do something, or we can simply adapt and get it done. I have a new Nespresso coffee machine that appears to be able to make more things than I can pronounce. Of course, it was a gift and I loved drinking them when they were made for me, it was lovely. Setting up this machine and figuring out how to work it properly will be a nightmare. Anything new for me is always challenging and takes longer than I would like or the directions say it should.
However, by next month’s article or maybe the following, I will be an amateur barista. I know that doing new things and making life changes is necessary for fulfillment in life. People always want to know why they aren’t happy and the answer is simple: You aren’t doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Now, I don’t know what my true calling or purpose in life is. However, I do know that trying new things and helping others is leading me closer to finding that out. Keep doing new things, even if they make you uncomfortable. Find comfort in the discomfort, and always remain willing to help others.
Now to all my supposed critics who apparently keep telling those close to me how much my articles need to change. I write for the community as a whole not individuals. If you have issues with the words I say or how I write contact me directly. Office # 631-698-4861 or via e-mail at cpessin@brettonwoodshoa.org.
Those who know me well and reach out to me, please continue to do so. To the lovely resident and friend who dropped off special cookies for me yesterday, thank you 😊! I value real input and sincerity, but I don’t entertain criticism from those who probably don’t even read the articles in their entirety.
“Never take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.”
With a new year and a new page fast approaching, let’s change direction. I don’t know if we are going to have a bad winter or not. Unlike many who speak with certainty on every topic in life, I don’t. I do know that we have had two mild winters and statistically, we are overdue for a bad winter.
Some people in my life want a bad winter for monetary reasons and others for snow days. Others want a mild winter so they don’t have to shovel or drive in it. My feeling is the same as what I touched on above. Circumstances, including weather, don’t alter my plans. They may make them more challenging and work more difficult, but any opportunity to build character is a good one for me.
I will not get into our snow policy and all of the specifics, as this was already covered by the HOA President. I will simply ask that you listen to or read the blast calls/messages that are sent during the snow storms.
As a morning jogger, and someone who leaves the office late, the days are clearly shorter—not actually shorter, but have less daylight that is. Now I know by the time you read this article, the days will get longer, but that will take some time. Please be careful of the kids getting on and off the school buses during early mornings and evenings. I know we all tend to be in a rush and think that speeding helps save some time, but it doesn’t.
To those of you who try and drive around the speed humps on one side: First, doing so is worse for your suspension than just driving over them slowly. Second, and more importantly, you put the community and the kids who stand along the curb waiting for the bus in danger and it needs to seize immediately! I assure you that if a child gets injured from your negligence, the actions that will be taken against you will be substantially worse than the two or three seconds you added to your commute by following the rules of the road.
What will 2025 bring to us all? My thoughts are probably the same as 2024 if we don’t change anything. This whole “New Year’s resolution” nonsense is one of the biggest farces that exists in the world. The only way to have success in life is consistency over time. I fail more than I succeed and probably struggle with simple tasks more than most. However, I never give up and I make sure that I surround myself with good people. If you want to succeed at making improvements this year, change your current circumstances.
Change is never easy, but is 100% necessary for our growth and success. Sometimes we have to close out chapters to write new ones. What that ultimately means is sometimes we have to end relationships whether it be family, significant others, friends, or acquaintances if they’re preventing us from evolving. I try hard not to write people off and give them ample opportunities, but in the end, if they prevent me from writing the next chapter, then I have to erase the page.
I have a feeling that 2025 will be a year of some of the biggest changes in my life. I also know that it will be painful, scary, and filled with endless challenges. I will not avoid it; I will face this next phase of life with determination and resolve. I recently watched a video about bald eagles and what they go through in the middle of their life. They have to fully transform in order to survive, which involves the removal of the old to grow the new. I won’t detail it in this article, as it’s pretty graphic, but it is an interesting video to watch for those who love nature.
Those of us who are serious about changes for the new year, let us all be bald eagles. If you are past middle age, which I am sure many are, let’s at least get rid of the people who stop us from growing and having new experiences.
January brings us the following holidays and days of significance: New Year’s Day, Epiphany, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Craig Pessin- HOA Administrator
If you want to soar, you must be willing to fall.