COURTESY OF DAMON WEST WEEK 3, 2020 LIFE & TRADITION THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS Page 5 Damon West 5 THINGS YOU had a perfect life on WON’T REGRET paper: loving family, star Page 2 quarterback, promising career. Then he got hit with a life sentence at a maximum-security WORKING FROM HOME: prison. BALANCING LIFE AND WORK IN ONE SPACE Page 2 Damon W e ON USING HIS STORY OF PRISON AND RECOVERY TO INSPIRE GOOD Page 6 B22 | LIFE & TRADITION JANUARYWeek 9–15, 3, 2020 JANUARYWeek 3, 2020 9–15, 2020 LIFE & TRADITION |B3 3 BBERNARD/SHUTTERSTOCK ALL PHOTOS PUBLIC DOMAIN lasting impact, deepening the impact of the regret. However, when we live within our means and forego imme- diate gratification, we enjoy a peace of mind that colors all other aspects of our lives. Risking Failure You know that thing you’ve always wanted to do? It’s risky. It may not work. You may fail. It may be embarrassing. It’s a risk. If you fail, however, you prob- ably won’t regret doing it. You’ll learn valuable lessons from the failure, and you’ll be proud of yourself for going for it. There’s always the possibility, too, that it doesn’t fail. If you don’t do it, though, will you regret it? Risks, of course, need to be measured, but risk- ing failure is probably one of those things you won’t regret. Spending Time With Loved Ones Relationships are a key element of life and what brings mean- ing and connection. The fourth regret on Ware’s list speaks to the significance of people in our lives. Yet, we can get so busy, can’t 5 Things You Won’t Regret we? We lose touch. We talk about how we “should” get together. We think of a less BARBARA DANZA 5. I wish that I had let myself be Sometimes we make big plans busy time that never comes. Making happier. to exercise, and then we hit the We just stay wrapped up in our In her inspirational book, “The time for snooze or use weather as an workaday routines, riding the Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A our friends The regrets are relatable and excuse. Later, what do we do? treadmill. Life Transformed by the Dearly and family devastating and say much about We regret that we didn’t fulfill Making time for our friends Departing,” Australian author always how, when driven by fear and our promise to ourselves. and family, though, always en- “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze, 1851. Bronnie Ware, a former pallia- enriches insecurity, we are left with regret. We don’t ever regret exercis- riches our lives. When we do, we our lives. tive care nurse, shares the les- As we look toward a new year ing, though. Those days when don’t regret it. The memories of HISTORY sons she learned sitting at the and a new decade, many of us you don’t feel like it at all, that precious time linger on in bedsides of the terminally ill. think about how to live a better but you push yourself to do it our minds for a long time after. Her list was originally pub- life—one, perhaps, that won’t anyway, are some of the best lished as a blog post (that even- end with such regrets. days. Afterward, you feel great Letting Go of Attachments tually went viral) in which she It often comes to pass that we that you moved your body and There can be many things that shared five regrets she says her regret what we don’t do instead of honored your commitment to hold us back from living up to When All Seems Bleak, Look to 1777 patients expressed over what we actually do. Most of the yourself. our potential. Perhaps we’re and over: regrets Ware highlights seems to angry, jealous, or scared. These ‘Times that try men’s souls’ gave way to hope and optimism be regrets of omission. Living Within Your Means things we can’t let go of, attach- 1. I wish I’d had the courage to On the other hand, there are From time to time, shiny ob- ments, hinder us from living a live a life true to myself. certain things we will likely nev- jects tempt us to get into debt fulfilled life. 2. I wish I hadn’t worked so er regret. What would the next to get what we want, when we Letting go of attachments to ALAN WAKIM Crossing the Delaware River Continental Congress and end the conflict the hard. decade look like if we focused want it. Soon after, we experi- wanting things, to trying to con- Heavy winds, snow, and sleet blew into the following year. The raid on Trenton changed 3. I wish I’d had the courage to on them? ence what’s known as “buyer’s trol things, can be immensely ‘Twas the early evening of Christmas Day faces of the 2,400 men as they crossed the everything. A distraught Lord Charles Corn- express my feelings. remorse,” or in other words, freeing. Instead of wishing for a in 1776 and Gen. George Washington was ice-covered Delaware River. What should wallis, who had prepared to depart for London 4. I wish I had stayed in touch Exercising regret. Sometimes these shiny life in your mind, embrace the on the verge of losing the Revolutionary have taken six hours took nine. Washing- and visit his ailing wife, found himself instead with my friends. We know we should exercise. objects are large and have a life that is. War. His armies felt defeated and discour- ton knew his men were bitterly cold and traversing New Jersey on New Year’s Day in the aged, his countrymen had lost confidence tired, and thought about calling off the rain, commanding a unit assigned to crush the in his abilities, his adjutant-general Joseph attack. But the country needed this vic- rejuvenated rebellion. Reed had conspired against him, his sec- tory. He needed this victory and was de- Washington wasn’t satisfied with the lone vic- ond in command Charles Lee had been termined to carry it through to the end as tory. He requested money from Philadelphia captured two weeks prior on Friday the he encouraged his men, “Press on! Press banker Robert Morris to finance further opera- YUGANOV KONSTANTIN/SHUTTERSTOCK 13th, and Gen. Horatio Gates was off cur- on, boys!” He was unaware that further tions before retiring for the winter. He then ad- THE EPOCH TIMES: In what ways can one rying favor at his expense with the Conti- down river his two other strike teams led dressed his men and asked them to stay for six Working prepare the home environment to be nental Congress, which had fled Philadel- by John Cadwalader and James Ewing had more weeks. When none volunteered, Washing- conducive to running a business from phia for Baltimore days earlier. aborted the operation due to the worsen- ton pleaded with an anguished face and begged home? ing weather. in the name of their country and all that was at From Home: MS. ALVAREZ: One of my favorite ways A Desperate Gamble With him were Nathaniel Greene and stake. His second appeal won them over. to create an environment that is con- With his men’s enlistments expiring in one John Sullivan, who led the two divisions On the evening of Jan. 2, an exhausted Cornwal- Balancing ducive for a home-based business is week, Washington had no choice but to as they marched the nine miles to Tren- lis finally reached Trenton and engaged Wash- to write out weekly income goals and risk everything on a desperate gamble he ton. Many of the men were improperly ington and his men who were deployed across Life and Work keep them next to the computer or on hoped would save the cause. His plan was dressed for the bitter cold. Two soldiers Assunpink Creek. His plans were to rest for the the fridge. It’s also nice to work in a to split up the approximately 5,000 men left An image of the would freeze to death. Those without night and finish off the rebels in the morning. clean and organized home. I love to under his command into three coordinated strike first page from the shoes left blood trails in the ice and snow. But Cornwallis believed his enemies were trapped in One Space diffuse essential oils and have fresh teams, cross the Delaware River, surround the first edition of “The the men didn’t complain. Rather, they marched with nowhere to retreat. But Washington had no cut flowers at my desk. Surround- Hessian-occupied town of Trenton, and attack American Crisis,” a on in hopes of victory. Among those marching intention of retreating. Instead, he and his men A conversation with ing yourself with beauty and signs of an hour before sunrise. pamphlet written by that day were John Stark, Henry Knox, Alexan- quietly slipped away and attacked Princeton business consultant abundance are sure to affect your en- As he looked across the river from McConkey’s Thomas Paine and der Hamilton, Arthur St. Clair, William Alex- the following morning, where Cornwallis had ergy as you work. Ferry toward New Jersey, Washington must have was first published ander (aka Lord Stirling) and future president left behind a brigade of men and much-needed Adriana Monique Alvarez reflected on the disastrous events that had led him on Dec.