Ending 2020 on a Positive Note Austin, TX

Ending 2020 on a Positive Note

2020 has been a unique year, one that will remain stamped on our collective memories. The pandemic has brought with it challenges and blessings. As we wrap up the year, it is the blessings I wish to focus on.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I took up a challenge to post daily #GiveThanks posts on social media. This exercise was a wonderful way to share and receive positivity. Some of the blessings I posted about were my family and friends; audio books which enable me to listen to fascinating stories, learn new skills and expand my mind during my daily commute; my expansive spice collection which allows me to cook anything and everything from Thai, Creole, to Filipino and German; and smiles that brighten my day at work and at home. Being grateful and expressing thanks are effective ways to push back negativity. It is not possible to be hateful and grateful at the same time. Often it is the little things in life that bring us the most joy.

Service is another way to be blessed with positivity. Thanksgiving week I was blessed as I served alongside my 13-year old son, who is working on becoming an Eagle Scout, as he conducted a neighborhood food drive to benefit the Round Rock Area Serving Center. With the help of friends, Owen was able to reach all 850 homes in our neighborhood by placing a flier and collection bag on each front door. Having planted the “seeds” the Monday before Thanksgiving, we went back the Saturday after Thanksgiving to collect the “harvest”. We were unprepared for the generous response with almost 3,500 lbs. of food being donated and flooding our garage floor. Many neighbors expressed thanks for the opportunity to give. The pandemic has made it harder for us to give service yet we all need as much help and positivity as we can get during these challenging times.

In November, during an all-day team meeting, the Council Oak Perio team identified five key values that exemplify our team culture. One of our values is “Positive Energy”, which is expressed in the following statement:

Positivity is a decision we make out of
respect to each other.

This holiday season I am grateful for my professional colleagues who have weathered the COVID storm with me. Your advice and support have been invaluable. I am grateful to our referring offices who have continued to trust us to care for their patients. I am grateful for my team who has a positive influence on each other and on me. I am grateful for the pandemic, it is helped me refocus and brought my team together. We are stronger now than ever.

Wishing you all a positive and happy holiday season.

Dr. Christopher M. Bingham