Celebrating you, yes you, with a special gift!

Yet another topsy-turvy year has passed. 

With our feet to the fire and at times, feeling like werewolves were after us, we made it through.  

Time after time the headlines screamed war, conflict, the burning planet, and examples of terrible conflicts on personal, home fronts.  

Our brains have felt incapable of comprehension, like we’re incoherent, repeating nonsense words like Prisencolinensinainciusol.  

We’ve come close to giving up, as another one bites the dust.

It’s been enough to make a person think there’s no hope. To make me and you feel the only choice is despair.  

But dear one, that’s only jive talkin.’

We’ve all been forged in fire. It’s what’s made you you and made me me.

All I know so far, in my fifty-eight years on the planet, is there IS a way forward

As long as we want peace we can flip this sorrowful ballad around. 

We can’t be alone together.

And while there’s no such thing as a bulletproof strategy and it takes a lot to try, if we carve out some quiet time down by the water we can turn beautiful strangers into beautiful friends.

It gives me the shivers to think of our potential, all of our peaceful possibilities.

There’s definitely a reason to cry AND what a time to be alive.

Let’s reach out to everyone, strangers, loose acquaintances, those with the same and those with different passport countries as ours, refugees, immigrants, and more.  Let’s find refuge in the community we build.

We may be burning down the house, but innovation lies in the ashes and love will always survive, even with the faintest flicker.

So after resting, rise up and shake your groove thing for I’ll stand by you, because clearly, you’re simply the best.

Let’s dig deep into innovation and carve our path, in our own bohemian way.  

Let’s rewrite our stories.

And for times when it seems like too much (because that will happen), and if you go down, and feel knocked about on your knees, know we can escape to a place in our mind.  

A place like cantaloupe island, where we can do the cha cha cha and watch butterflies in the sun.  
And then, when you’re refreshed, we’ll get back to jumpin.

Because humanity is our love story and we’ll get closer to fine when we believe deep in our bones that it’s truly a wonderful world.

So lift your light up.  Shine as only you can.  Take a deep breath. Karma is your friend.

Act from a place of higher love. And leave your mark on moromoro you lil boo thang you.

And now, it’s almost time to turn the page to 2024.  But not before you check out the playlist I made from all the italicized words above.  Your playlist is below – written out, plus a made-for-you playlist on YouTube!

Take a look and listen.

1. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
2. Time after time – Iron and Wine
3. Prisencolinensinainciusol – Adriano Celentano
4. Another one bites the dust – Queen
5. Think – H.E.R.
6. Make me feel – Janelle Monae
7. Jive talkin – Bee Gees
8. This is What Made Me – Song House, Miss Valeri Lopez
9. All I know so far – Pink
10. We want peace – Emmanuel Jal
11. The ballad of Shubenacadie – Emma Stevens (pack my bags, writing is on the wall)
12. Alone Together – Chet Baker
13. Bulletproof – Samantha Fish
14. It takes a lot to try – Aviram
15. Down by the water – Abigail Lapell
16. Beautiful strangers – Kevin Morby
17. Shivers – Ed Sheeran
18. Cry to me – Marc Broussard
19. What a time to be alive – George Pelham (you’re by my side, we made it through the night)
20. Refugee – K’Naan
21. Burning down the house – Talking heads
22. Love survive – Michael  Nau
23. Shake your groove thing – Peaches and Herbs
24. I’ll stand by you – Pretenders
25. Simply the best – Noah Reid
26. Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols
27. Rewrite your story – SOng House, Kayley Bishop
28. If you go down – Kelsea Ballerini
29. Cantaloupe Island – Herbie Hancock
30. Cha cha cha d’amour – Dean Martin
31. Butterflies – Tom Odell, Aurora
32. Jumpin – Leon Majcen, Jonny Morgan
33. Love story – Indila
34. Closer to fine – Indigo Girls
35. What a wonderful world – Shovels and Rose
36. Karma – Taylor Swift
37. Higher love – Ndlovu Youth Choir
38. Moromoro – Leo Mkanyia
39. Lil Boo Thang – Paul Russell

Now go on and learn, laugh, and lead

Learn

• Surprise! Here’s your gift. Check out the playlist I made for you of all the italicized words.

Laugh

• Kindness and creativity are always possible.  Even with a firework-stealing feline.

P.S.

I’ve done similar type playlists in previous years which you can watch and read about here:

• Watch and read about reflections on 2022
• Watch and read about reflections on 2021
• Watch and read about reflections on 2020
• Watch and read about reflections on 2019

P.P.S.

For all you Learning and Development Roundtable members, as we’re taking a break from the Roundtable for the month of December, during that time I’ll be sending you my weekly tips on how to learn, laugh and lead. Like this one!