Happy New Year - 2024

 

May this New Year that is upon us find you planning wonderful and exciting escapes to places you have never been before. This round ball of a planet has so much to offer and you have so much to offer it in return.

Happy New Year from the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada

                                 Get out and and travel in 2024!!!!

                            Traveling freely along the Amazon River in Peru - Make it yours

Happy New Year!

As always - we at J and L Research and Exploration want to express our desire for the very best New Year for you and your loved ones. Here's to an awesome 2023!

It is no surprise to hear many people express the wish: "I hope 2022 is going to be a better year than last year."

Of course, an argument could be made the past couple of years were nothing to place in the 'great memories' section of a personal diary - COVID-19, high inflation, border tensions, violence in the streets, and too much more to write about here. 

But, there were things to be pleased with, even in what seemed at times to be dire circumstances.

Laureen and I were blessed with the birth of three granddaughters during these times,  our daughter Jessica gave us Jasmine, while Katie welcomed Ava and Anastasia. These are the moments which make it all worth the hardships. And then we learned during the summer of 2021 that our daughter, Kelly, is having a baby in the spring of 2022, a grandson who will be named Eli.

See, even in times of trial and tribulation - wonderful things can happen.

That is why, on January 1st of each year, we all look forward to the upcoming year with hopes and aspirations that it will be better than the previous one.

Too much to ask for? Okay, perhaps it is, but what the world has gone through with the previous two years, maybe we really need the prospects of a truly outstanding year for everyone.

So this 2022, let's make it about all of us getting together, smiling, laughing, and trying to forget the past and move on with a brand new future.

Forgive the past slights.

Recall the pleasant memories.

Reflect on how we each can be a better person.

And, learn to truly love those around us with just a bit more relish.

We at J and L wish everyone a truly Happy and Prosperous New Year.

 

We hope all have a wonderfully merry Christmas and a truly Happy New Year. Here is to an awesome 2022. Get out there and do some traveling - see those byways and highways. There is so much to experience and enjoy in life. 

Anti-Resolutions: New Year's Resolutions You Might Actually Be Able to Keep

Since the dawn of mankind, we have looked to the Heavens. We mark the path of the sun, and note the passage of a day. We notice the phases of the moon, and gain an awareness of a month. Then, those intrepid ancients took note of the alignment of the visible universe, and created a way to measure seasons, and years.

And with all our fascination with time, we promise ourselves that THIS year will be better than the last. WE will be better, do better, try harder. We make New Year's Resolutions. And before the end of January, most of those resolutions are out the proverbial window. And right now, who can even remember the resolutions made last year at this time?

So, to evolve beyond this rather masochistic practice, and end the self-punishment, it is time for anti-resolutions. These are resolutions you not only might actually be able to keep -- but perhaps, are the ones we should have been aiming for all along.

We at J and L present our anti-resolutions, and invite you to comment below with yours.

1. Have a sense of adventure. You don't need a gym to work out. Get outside. Breathe in that fresh (well, fresher) air. Walk with someone you love -- hold hands if they are bipedal; hold leashes for the four-legged love in your life. Walk the path less-traveled. See things you haven't seen before -- across the world or across the street. But get outside. Say hello to fellow adventurers out for a walk or a hike. And don't forget to watch the sunset. Now that's our idea of exercise!
2. Get some sleep. Well, after all that outdoorsy exercise, you've earned it. No guilt. Science tells us that a good night's rest can reduce your level of stress, and thus your blood pressure. You burn calories as you snooze, and rest helps curb your appetite. So, sleep does a body good! 
3. Look up from your devices -- after you finish reading this blog, that is. Unplug. Read a book. Have a conversation. Play a board game. Enjoy spending time with friends and family. None of us are getting any younger, and no number of  'Likes' is worth missing a moment of 'Life.'
4. Love yourself. Sometimes you have to spend a little money on something unnecessary. Sometimes, you need to have an hour to do nothing all by yourself. If you spend all of your spare energy on trying to make someone else happy, you will be miserable. You can't MAKE someone happy, anyway. Love yourself and you'll find you have more love to share.
5. Use it or lose it. You know that special something that you've been saving for a special occasion. Well, today is that special occasion. Wear it, use it, play with it, drink it. Material items aren't meant to last forever. Enjoy them now instead of saving it for someday. And less truly is more. Get rid of the stuff that has been cluttering your closet and your life. All of it. If you don't have a use for it, donate it. Or, in the case of old divorce paperwork for instance, have a good ole bonfire.
6. Write. Pencil or pen and paper are best. It doesn't have to be brilliant or inspirational. Write a story, a poem, a song. Make a list counting your blessings. Write a letter or a thank-you note, and send it. When was the last time you sent or received an honest-to-goodness letter? Not email. Real, physical paper and stamps. Remember when you could go the mailbox and there was something waiting for you besides bills and advertisements? Ah, those were the days. We could start a revolution right here and now. Bring back cards and letters -- and not just at Christmastime.
7. Be creative. Make something with your hands. Plant. Rearrange. Beautify. Just don't do what everyone else is doing the way everyone else is doing it. Be yourself. Your best self. And definitely be different. 

Now, the anti-resolution purists will tell you that anti-resolutions must be stated in the negative -- to emphasize what you will STOP doing. But we believe that violates #7. A resolution is a firm decision to do, or not do, something. Therefore, anti-resolutions are more, well, guidelines. And none of these cost most than the price of a stamp -- but can be priceless. These anti-resolutions are about seeing the best in yourself and others -- rather than punishing ourselves for our bad habits. And that is our wish for you in 2018. See the best; be the best; hope and work for the best for all of us.

Season Greetings from J and L

At this time of year - as always - we want to wish all our friends from around this wonderful globe a Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays and a fruitful New Year! Perhaps it is clearer illustrated - 

                            Yes - we believe that is better!