Goodbye to the Not-So-Perfect 2020 Vision
There may have been some individuals in the world who saw what we had coming in 2020, but I have to believe most of us were blindsided by Covid 19…
Going back a year, I personally had an ok 2019. Looking at the date’s numerical alignment, there was an even number next to an odd number, so I felt this probably caused a bit of numerical stress. But as I envisioned (pun intended) two positive twin numbers and the gold standard for perfect vision, 2020 had all the earmarks for the building of an extraordinary year. Boy, was I off the mark! As you read this, we are now in a New Year and, with everybody and his brother reflecting back on the last 365 days, I would be remiss if I didn’t throw out my two cents on 2020.
If you’ve read my blog, you know I love to travel; and observing and promoting wildlife is at the core of who I am. My friends in S. Africa want me back… and Namibia is calling… but I focused on 2 family of deer in my woods and watched them raise a set of twins and a solo fawn this past spring and summer. I was going through 100 or so pounds of corn a week. Watching their interaction with a family of raccoons (Mom and 3 kits) was very entertaining. I had to separate the corn piles by several yards because the mother raccoon would not let anyone or anything near her young, or she would rise up on her hind legs and take a swat at the nearest deer, squirrel, or bird.
Why the dissertation on deer? That enjoyment and education on wildlife, in my own backyard, had been missed over the last 24 summers that we have lived here. I usually updated my passport, got a few shots, packed for three weeks prior, got on a plane, and flew for 17 hours or so to observe animals in their natural habit. Wow, I got a similar animal experience and almost the same adrenalin rush and never got out of my pajamas!
My wife has asked me for years (and I mean years) why I couldn’t enjoy animals closer to home. It took Covid and a world shut-down to make the bull-headed gypsy in me enjoy what has been right in front of my eyes all along. 2020 gave me a sort of wonderful 2020 vision of what the hell it takes (as strong-willed as I am) to make me change my life. This was the first summer in my life that I didn’t take a vacation with the family or leave the state for a dental convention for an entire year!
My life has always been a constant merry-go-round, always planning or going somewhere every two months. Talking with my patients, many of you did not get to your hallow condos in some beautiful part of the country. No Disney, no Universal, heck, I didn’t even get to Cedar Point or have lobster bisque at PIB… but we made it through.
I know many people who felt if you didn’t go on a cruise or dump a large chunk of change on a beach condo, your family vacay wasn’t a success. How many of you camped in the backyard or basement and learned to play board games and actually talked to your kids across a table one-on-one? Over this last year, I hope we have brought our view of family back into focus as we remember those we lost and those we spent so much more quality time with.
Covid has given us a new vision! I only hope this new vision will be reflected in our New Year’s resolutions and lived out in 2021. Let me close with my thoughts on resolutions…
The “experts” say 80 percent of us will fail to achieve our New Year’s resolutions. Most of us make grandiose resolutions on New Year’s Eve (with the help of a few light libations) and within a few weeks we have lost our resolve.
If the Pandemic has taught us anything, I think you would agree we now realize, more than ever before, how vulnerable our here-to-fore seemingly healthy bodies are. This fact, coupled with the grim realization of the true fragility of our take-it-for-granted lifestyle, has reinforced the notion that we need to make resolutions that encompass better health, a simpler lifestyle, and closer-to-the-heart priorities.
We need to keep our bodies strong, our minds alert, our faith intact, and work daily at keeping our love and strength of family a top priority.
Medicine has a term called the entourage effect, where the beneficial sum of the compound is greater than any of the benefits taken separately. Our future and our children’s future will depend not just on eating well or exercising or hydrating or meditating, but all of these combined into a new life vision for 2021!
I’ll end with the philosophy of Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones…
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometimes,
You might find you get what you need.
On behalf of my family and staff, I wish all of you and yours a healthy, meaningful, and mask-free New Year!
- Dr. Pfister