This is a perfect time to reflect on all that we have. Dealing with serious injuries and tragedies every day as we do at KLH provides us with a unique opportunity to think about what is important and act accordingly. Here are a  few of my thoughts in no particular order:

  1. If we have not told someone we care for them or love them lately, we should do so now. We  can never share these  thoughts and feelings enough;  and if we don’t, we usually  regret it.
  2. Because we never know what is going to happen one minute, or hour or day to the next, each moment  is precious.  So, we should try to appreciate what is happening as it occurs.  Living in the moment is not easy but important. Meditating  a few minutes a day helps us reach this understanding.
  3. We  truly cannot understand that which  is good if there are not bad things. And vice versa. There is a yin and yang in all things.
  4. At the end of people’s lives, many wish they had spent more time with loved ones and accomplished more things on their “bucket list.”  Don’t be one of those people.
  5. Social studies now prove that the two main ingredients that allow long term relationships to succeed are kindness and generosity. We can never go wrong acting this way. Yet this also means we must work diligently not to be selfish and full of ego.
  6. We should try to live  so that in our own way, we make  this world a little better. That can be one of our lasting legacies.
  7. I always loved Mark Twain’s saying, “live your life so that when you die, even the undertaker cries.”
  8. I enjoy also as true another of his sentiments, “I worried about a great many things, although most of them never happened.”
  9. Treat others with dignity and respect.
  10. There is always someone worse off than us. Understanding this “relativity” of life keeps us humble and allows us to appreciate much.

With gratitude,

Mark Kitrick