By Steve Stricker

Columnist

“For sound mental health, we must love and be loved unconditionally by at least one person.” Dr. William Glasser, Reality Therapy (my base counseling theory.)

As we look way back from this new lofty 2025 seat – as hard as we try, we can’t undo the past, only evaluate ourselves, change, adapt, and move forward. A major concept of Reality Therapy. Tough, but with God’s help, we can do it.

Eye blink: is your seatbelt on? We went from mowing, trimming, sweating, to Ole Miss Fall Semester, Finals, long Christmas Break, birth of our Lord, New Year 2025, our Lord’s baptism by John the Baptist, beginning of His ministry to save us, Epiphany (manifestation, gestalt), by the Magi that Jesus was indeed the son of God, and BAM – next Tuesday the 21st is the beginning of the Ole Miss 2025 Spring Semester.  Wow!

Working with our unique Ole Miss students every day was the highlight of my life.  Amongst others, teaching EDLD 301, Career and Life Planning to our students as Assistant Director of Career Services, speaking of Epiphany – one day in class, ”preaching”  on the importance of doing what your strengths are but perhaps not your current major – one of my favorite students stood up and strongly announced that she just had an “epiphany” and was changing her major from business to elementary education! Ha – I will never forget that.

Did y’all have an epiphany and are now working in your dream job? I tend to get stuck in a rut and it took a stick of dynamite, lit by God, to get me on my forever Ole Miss path. It is never, ever too late if you are not fulfilled in what you are currently doing to make a change!!  Get out! What do I have to lose – be more miserable? I doubt it.  Take a walk on the wild side – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain in this fresh, new year!  JUST DO IT!

Submitting this on Thursday, January 9  2025 – wildfires as we speak are devastating California, snow forecast for late tonight and tomorrow, Friday, January 10, 4-6” – gulp.  February 14, 2021 and January 14, 2024 – I was trapped in my house 8 days each time by ice and snow because of the very steep entrance to my house location and steep driveway.

So appreciate our South Oaks HOA and that big’o front-end loader that busted in here last year and within minutes, cleared the snow on our cul-de-sac and we could finally get out! Everyone came out of their house to watch and cheer! Thanks Mayor Robyn Tannehill. So appreciate having a house to shelter in and to first responders everywhere….

Fooled twice by “this is the south,” the week before the dreaded 10th, to Chaney’s to get my scripts up to date, Kroger for me and Jag food, and High Cotton for “Counseling Juice!”

Wednesday, January 8, made my traditional trip to our amazing Ole Miss Alumni Center to update my dues for the 2025 year with friend, Susy Norwood, always there, always efficient, and makes my day and year. What about you Ole Miss grads? Have you joined?

See you on the other side of “this is the South” snow in my next column to see how it went….

On my mind: “Wildflowers, wild horses…!” Let go of that baggage, give it to God, let it go for real, and put your seatbelt on as your, my, life is fixin’ to change big time!! Love y’all.

Steve lives in Oxford and has his Ph.D. in Counseling from Ole Miss.