Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Despite fireworks, midnight kisses, black-eyed peas, and billions of people tuning into the Times Square ball drop, Jan. 1 is not unlike Dec. 31. We wake up in our same beds, find our same slippers, and fill our same coffee mugs. What distinguishes January is our perspective. It's the time of year for self-awareness and self-imposed change as we reflect on the year we've been through and prepare for the year ahead. The year 2023 was a doozy. We experienced the loss of two of my oldest son's best friends in a car crash just weeks before their high school graduation. Months later, I dropped one son off at college and helped the other son apply to go off to college this fall. Then we finished building and moving into our new home, an empty nester's oasis in the country. Looking back at 2023's dramatic events and milestones, I realize the year dialed up my burnout meter. Since well before COVID, I've been among the ever-growing ranks of burned-out EPs. Now I'm missing my son, and I have two friends who will never see their sons again. I see that the time we have with our kids is precious, and I find myself resenting EM for all the lost holidays, birthdays, and school events. [To read more, click View Resource.]
