HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As 2015 comes to a grinding halt I couldn’t be happier. 

This had to be the most challenging year of my life, from ongoing health issues, financial stress and lost friendships.  After being diagnosed with the big “C” I put my life on hold in July which I wouldn’t recommend anyone do.   I declined more surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and opted for some alternative medicine.  Unfortunately, my family does not support me in this action and it saddens me.  But, I feel it’s the right decision for me and I try to live by the motto “To thine own self be true!”  And, as queen Elizabeth would say “2015 is not a year that I shall look back upon with undiluted pleasure.”

The solitude has helped me discover what I’d like to do with the rest of my life.  I’d like to become an advocate for senior citizens.  I never want them to go through some of the nightmares I encountered.  I’m writing a book and borrowing the title “YANA – You Are Never Alone” and dedicating it to them. YANA is a group of senior police volunteers who call on housebound seniors Monday through Friday.  They knock on my door each morning and say “Good morning Miss Carolan, how are you today?  Do you need anything, etc?   It was they who found me on the floor back in February after laying there for 11hours because I slipped and fell on the bathroom at midnight.

Later, Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy told a reporter “how lucky the woman on Golden Ridge Drive is to be alive.”  I didn’t know I had fractured my pelvis in two places and was bleeding internally.  Later, I made the evening news on Channel 39.

Assisted living is not what’s it’s cracked up to be and I have volumes to share with seniors, caregivers, E/Rs, doctors, nurses, insurance companies, ambulance companies, etc.  I will have a list of questions for seniors to answer according to their needs and lifestyles.  It is to help them sort through all the red tape and have a thorough understanding of their rights!  Which I did not know…

Instead of setting resolutions (which I break too easily) I am setting goals.  I want to make some concrete plans with guidelines on how to get there, what’s stopping me, and how I can get back on track if need be.  This may involve some speaking engagements too.  Journaling is also at the top of my list which I encourage everyone to do.  The therapeutic benefits from journaling are immeasurable.  I used to teach seminars on Journaling and would welcome opportunities to do so again.

Whatever your goals and dreams are treasure them because without them people can walk all over you and you will never know your full potential.  As Les Brown says “Shoot for the moon!  Even if you miss… you will land among the stars!

Happy New Year!   And may the force be with you!