Today is the end of the first half of the year. The calendar year.

Because I’m pretty good at being a second chair, or being helpful, I’m not great at goal setting or annual reviews. Or perhaps it’s just because I’m so great at checking email and social media, worrying about who I might be letting down.

I’m not looking for encouragement, by the way. “Jon, you are helpful! Jon, you do things.”

I’m actually offering encouragement to those of you who think that you are the only one who doesn’t measure up to the great planners, the great goal setters, the great focusers.

You aren’t alone.

What I’m aware of, however, is that you and I may be the people who most need to spend a little time on reviewing.

• Remembering that our commitments from the beginning of the year went by the wayside AND we spent more hours than we knew caring for our mom after our dad died.
• Remembering that we haven’t answered all those emails asking about trivial things AND we answered every call from our friend who is sorting through stuff no one else understands.
• Remembering that we haven’t written at our blog consistently AND we have covered shifts at work and taught students and completed research write-ups.
• Remembering that we haven’t gone out to coffee with all the people we think we should (or haven’t starting making new relationships like we should) AND we have taken naps because our bodies needed to take naps.

One day not long ago, I was talking to a friend who was concerned about disappointing people who needed help. At that moment, my friend was in the hospital. I looked at them and said, “I absolve you of feeling like you are failing them.” And we both ended up with tears in our eyes.

And so, as I look at these keys and this screen, I’m looking at you. I absolve you from the first half of the year. And myself. We’ve done what we could.

And I’ll see you on Sunday. In the second half of the year.