PRESIDENT’S CORNER

2013-December

by Kyle Jensen, MHA President

Life moves at such a fast pace that it seems to pass us by before we can really enjoy it. This past year as your president has come and gone, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to represent our great neighborhood. I have met so many wonderful friends. I began to list them here but then quickly realized the list is too long. I want to thank all of you for being my backbone. I want to share a poem for all those who have helped in making the neighborhood better this past year.

“Once there was a wall that divided many. The wall came down but some pieces still remain. The world is so big and we are all so small. Sometimes it feels like we can’t do anything, but the world can be better in spite of our fl aws. The world can be better and you’ll be the cause, even though many times the waves are bigger than our boats. The wind keeps us sailing; its love gives us hope. Some days its dark but we’ll keep rowing because people like you keep whispering, “Keep going, keep going keep going!” And it’s because of you, you keep us going. Who keeps you going? Tell them, “Keep going, keep going, keep going!”

I want to challenge you to keep going and continue to help our community. The past year has brought us so much. We have met new neighbors. We have gone on walks. We fixed up our properties. We hosted a block party. We built a garden. We ventured into social networking. We added a web-based home gallery. We had musical jam sessions. We hosted “Halloween” for the city of Fort Worth, at least it felt that way. We made dues donations available online. We setup the Little Free Library and recognized our memory of a beloved resident. We had movie nights, parades, concerts, bike rides, gift exchanges, socks for the homeless, a neighborhood cleanup, created MH thank you card, made our streets more neighborhood friendly, decorated for Christmas, shared meals,
fed the homeless, created a neighborhood slogan, painted chairs for a better block event, setup a cheer station for racers coming through, and much more. More importantly, we continued the legacy of what our neighborhood is most known for—COMMUNITY. We celebrated the residents of Mistletoe Heights. As we move forward into the holiday season, it is time to refl ect and to focus on family and friends.

The holidays are time for family, being neighborly, and giving thanks. I don’t know about you but I plan to slow down and enjoy life during this holiday season. This means taking the time to enjoy the mornings, instead of rushing off to work in a time-crunched frenzy. It means taking time to enjoy whatever you’re doing, to appreciate the outdoors, to actually focus on whomever you’re talking to or spending time with—instead of always being connected to a phone or laptop, instead of always thinking about work tasks and emails. It means single-tasking rather than switching between a multitude of tasks and focusing on none of them.

Slowing down is a conscious choice, and not always an easy one, but it leads to a greater appreciation for life and a greater level of happiness. Here’s how I plan slow down and live in the moment.

Do less. It’s hard to slow down when you are trying to do a million things. Instead, make the conscious choice to do less. Focus on what’s really important, what really needs to be done, and let go of the rest. Put space between tasks and appointments, so you can move through your days at a more leisurely pace.

Be present. It’s not enough to just slow down; you need to actually be mindful of whatever you’re doing at the moment. That means, when you fi nd yourself thinking about something you need to do, or something that’s already happened, or something that might happen, gently bring yourself back to the present moment. Focus on what’s going on right now. On your actions, on your environment, on others around you. This takes practice but is essential.

Disconnect. Don’t always be connected. If you carry around an iPhone or Blackberry or other mobile device, put
it down and turn it off. If you work on a computer most of the day, have times when you disconnect so you can focus on other things. Being connected all the time means we’re subject to interruptions, we’re constantly stressed about information coming in, we are at the mercy of the demands of others. It’s hard to slow down when you’re always checking new messages coming in.

Focus on people. Too often we spend time with friends and family and we’re not really there with them. We talk to them but are distracted by devices. We are there, but our minds are on things we need to do. We listen, but we’re really thinking about ourselves and what we want to say. None of us are immune to this, but with conscious effort you can shut off the outside world and just be present with the person you’re with. This means that just a little time spent with your family and friends can go a long way—a much more effective use of your time, by the way. It means we really connect with people rather than just being in the same room with them.

Appreciate nature. Many of us spend our days in our homes, offi ces, and cars, and we rarely get the chance to go outside. Take the time to go outside and really observe nature, take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoy the serenity of the river and greenery, and leave your phone at home. Exercise outdoors when you can, or find other outdoor activities to enjoy such as a nature walk to the botanic garden or zoo, swinging at the park, etc. Take time everyday to go outside.

It has been a great year of service. I have truly enjoyed serving the residents of Mistletoe Heights. I would still like to meet you. I would like to know your thoughts and ideas:

• Our Chat Room www.facebook.com/groups/mhneighbors
• On the back of your newsletter (drop us an email)
• Our webpage www.mistletoeheights.org/contact
• Our next members meeting (February 18th @ 7:00)

Join us as we make an effort to clean up our neighborhood and improve the quality of life for all those that live here.