This Christmas, because of my health situation, I did not decorate the Christmas tree or put up Christmas lights. It is an unusual Christmas. I remember the excitement around Christmas in past years. There was an excessive amount of excitement around Christmas when I was a young girl. Growing up in Linden Guyana, it was tradition to clean the house from "top to bottom" and eat special dishes at Christmas. I included this information in my poembook 'Growing Up In Linden, Guyana.'
In 2025, I faced health challenges. I felt older than my years. I now appreciate life more and am thankful for the little things. I communicate this to others all the time. I remember I gave a small speech about being thankful I am alive on my birthday (just before I blew out the candles). I remember telling others about my health challenges and my improvements at a party I attended. I was scared a lot. I remember how worried I was when I looked at my eye in my passport photograph. I am thankful I am better. I am thankful for all sort of things. One word that comes to mind for 2025 is recovery.
In 2025, I hoped major journals would select my papers for publishing. I discovered that the publishing process is a complex one and publishing my papers will take time. I made some of the papers public (can be viewed by anyone) using preprints. I was pleased that a lot of academics and students read the papers and thought it was good work. I recommend that academics put their work out there so others can review. The phrase 'open publishing' comes to mind.
Use the links in my ORCID profile for an easy way to review my papers. Link to my ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7559-8068.
In my email, I saw that a year in review was available from LinkedIn. I didn't open it. It is something I would like to do based on my blog posts. It is a great idea! I also saw a post asking for a word of the year. That is something I will think about and maybe come up with. It is near the end of the year. It is a time of reflection, a time to review what worked and didn't work as well as what you need to improve upon. I can't believe the year went by so quickly.
Life is difficult for a lot of people. Some are facing layoffs, some have health issues, and so on. Sometimes it is difficult to escape problems. Trusting in the Lord helps.
Here is an interesting video I found on how a company usually handles a layoff:
https://youtu.be/Uv2Azn93mLs?si=XX3LaBsVRZeZ51-v
I just read the news story on the courtside appearance of Beyonce's daughter Blue Ivy with her father. From the photo it seemed that the two had a good time. It is good to see that fathers going out with their daughters is mainstream. You may know that I have lunch with my father from time to time. We both like eating at Golden Corral. I think such father-daughter time is useful for discussing issues and sharing ideas.
I can't believe it is Wednesday already. The days are going by quickly. I am spending a lot of time resting. My foot still hurts.
I am having trouble taking care of some things. I like to take care of my business (get started on things and get things moving). I cannot get to CVS Pharmacy to pick up a prescription. I am unable to do some other things (such as take out the trash for pickup). There is the need for workarounds or alternate ways of doing things. It is the current situation. I am dealing with it.
Even my meal intake has changed. I am not eating as I usually do.
Christmas carols/songs always make me feel better. I listened to quite a few Christmas songs today. I enjoyed favorites such as O Holy Night, Little Drummer Boy, and Jingle Bell Rock. The songs helped to put me in the Christmas spirit. I want to also go see Christmas lights/decorations out there. That also makes me feel festive. Hopefully I'll be able to go out despite my aches and pains.
Here is a version of Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix that I enjoyed:
During the last few days, I was not my normal/usual self. My foot hurt a whole lot. I used a walker to get around. I had trouble walking up and down stairs and moving around. It seems that I am back to rehab days. I am trying to stay positive. I think it is getting better.
