Poor Me

It is the last day of the year.  Some people say, "Where did the time go?"  Hopefully it went being of some service.  Why?  To avoid the "poor me" summation of the year.  Poor me focuses on all the things that we don't have or lost, such as a home, due to fire or other disasters, or personal bankruptcy.  We might have lost relatives, spouses, parents, children due to illness, death, divorce or Alzheimer's.  We might have lost a job due to downsizing, or alcoholism.  There are lots of reasons for  losses.  What to do?  Besides allowing emotional space for some grieving, we might do service.  What?  Yes, help someone else who might be suffering loss.  It will connect us.  It will lessen our isolation.  It will get us out of ourselves.  Service is a way to heal ourselves.  What we have lost is lost, gone.  Fantasy will not bring it back.  But we still are here and a New Year is open before us.  For many a drunk, that is not to be taken for granted.  To be of service lets go of control.  We cannot control the outcome for the people or situations into which we pour ourselves.  But we may guarantee our healing for the time we do have in this world.