January 3, 2018 at 5:59 p.m.
Small changes can have an impact
Back in the Saddle
A fresh start.
A blank slate.
That’s what the New Year offers all of us.
It also provides an opportunity for resolutions.
Resolutions like:
•Become a visitor. Resolve in 2018 to build a habit of visiting a nursing home on a regular basis. It’s easy. It’s painless. And it’s incredibly rewarding.
•Feed the birds. If you don’t have a bird feeder, get one. They’re inexpensive. In weather like this, the birds need all the help they can get. They’ll provide hours of entertainment right outside your window if you keep the feeders filled.
•Log off. Resolve to make a conscious effort to reduce your time on the internet, placing a special emphasis on avoiding political websites, the ones that only succeed in sending your blood pressure higher.
•Volunteer. Resolve to remember that it’s not “all about you.” Youth organizations, church groups, arts organizations, and more could use your help. A couple of hours of service at a Feed My Starving Children MobilePack won’t exactly change your life, but it will give you a warm glow that can last for months.
•Read books. Read lots of books. Some of the saddest words ever to come out of the mouth of an adult are: “I can’t remember the last time I read a book.” That’s breathtaking in its ignorance, and in a community with an abundance of library resources it is inexcusable.
•Spend some time with kids. And don’t just spend time, listen to them. Ask them what they want to be when they grow up. Encourage them. Get them to tell you a knock-knock joke, even if it’s one you’ve heard a million times before. It’s new to them. (Orange you glad I didn’t say, “Banana”?)
•Create something. Paint a picture, build a chair, write a poem, come up with a new recipe. It doesn’t matter what. Play to your strengths and do something you like. But try to create something that is truly yours.
•Get out of the house in the evening and go somewhere. Don’t become a captive of the couch. Go to the movies. Go to a concert. Go to an evening church service. But get the heck off the couch.
•Learn a new software. That gets harder as we get older, but it’s a great way to slow down the aging process. In other words, keep on learning.
•Mix your media. Try to make sure you’re not just hearing your own beliefs and prejudices echoed back to you. If you’re a Rush Limbaugh fan, sample National Public Radio. If you’re an NPR listener, tune in to Rush for a bit. At the very least, you’ll have a better understanding of where the other side of the debate is coming from.
•Take a hike. I’ve banged this drum for years. Even if it’s just a stroll around the pond at Hudson Family Park, you will feel better for it. Nature is a gift waiting for you to open it; all it asks is your attention.
•Listen to some music. And do it without any distractions. It doesn’t matter what kind of music, though it should be something you like. The important thing is that you really listen to it and not treat it like some sort of audible wallpaper in the background of your life.
•Go to a government meeting. This is another drum I’ve banged for years, but it always bears repeating. Our form of government requires a degree of citizen participation. Go. Ask questions. Try to get a handle on what sort of issues our elected officials are dealing with.
•Eat a new food. Try something you’ve never had before. You don’t have to like it, but at least you can chalk it up as a new experience. And now and then you’ll be surprised.
•Pick up litter. You spot yet another Polar Pop cup in the gutter, but instead of just grumbling about it, pick it up. It’s not someone else’s responsibility. It is yours. Pick it up. (If you’re hiking, it’s a good idea to take a trash bag along. Two missions accomplished at once.)
•Write a letter. No, not an email, a real letter. Send it to someone who will be surprised and delighted when the envelope is opened.
None of those is really hard to do. And they’re all a heck of a lot easier than “lose 20 pounds” or “quit smoking” or a dozen other resolutions that will be broken by the end of the week.
It’s up to you, because 2018 really is a blank slate and a fresh start. Enjoy it.
A blank slate.
That’s what the New Year offers all of us.
It also provides an opportunity for resolutions.
Resolutions like:
•Become a visitor. Resolve in 2018 to build a habit of visiting a nursing home on a regular basis. It’s easy. It’s painless. And it’s incredibly rewarding.
•Feed the birds. If you don’t have a bird feeder, get one. They’re inexpensive. In weather like this, the birds need all the help they can get. They’ll provide hours of entertainment right outside your window if you keep the feeders filled.
•Log off. Resolve to make a conscious effort to reduce your time on the internet, placing a special emphasis on avoiding political websites, the ones that only succeed in sending your blood pressure higher.
•Volunteer. Resolve to remember that it’s not “all about you.” Youth organizations, church groups, arts organizations, and more could use your help. A couple of hours of service at a Feed My Starving Children MobilePack won’t exactly change your life, but it will give you a warm glow that can last for months.
•Read books. Read lots of books. Some of the saddest words ever to come out of the mouth of an adult are: “I can’t remember the last time I read a book.” That’s breathtaking in its ignorance, and in a community with an abundance of library resources it is inexcusable.
•Spend some time with kids. And don’t just spend time, listen to them. Ask them what they want to be when they grow up. Encourage them. Get them to tell you a knock-knock joke, even if it’s one you’ve heard a million times before. It’s new to them. (Orange you glad I didn’t say, “Banana”?)
•Create something. Paint a picture, build a chair, write a poem, come up with a new recipe. It doesn’t matter what. Play to your strengths and do something you like. But try to create something that is truly yours.
•Get out of the house in the evening and go somewhere. Don’t become a captive of the couch. Go to the movies. Go to a concert. Go to an evening church service. But get the heck off the couch.
•Learn a new software. That gets harder as we get older, but it’s a great way to slow down the aging process. In other words, keep on learning.
•Mix your media. Try to make sure you’re not just hearing your own beliefs and prejudices echoed back to you. If you’re a Rush Limbaugh fan, sample National Public Radio. If you’re an NPR listener, tune in to Rush for a bit. At the very least, you’ll have a better understanding of where the other side of the debate is coming from.
•Take a hike. I’ve banged this drum for years. Even if it’s just a stroll around the pond at Hudson Family Park, you will feel better for it. Nature is a gift waiting for you to open it; all it asks is your attention.
•Listen to some music. And do it without any distractions. It doesn’t matter what kind of music, though it should be something you like. The important thing is that you really listen to it and not treat it like some sort of audible wallpaper in the background of your life.
•Go to a government meeting. This is another drum I’ve banged for years, but it always bears repeating. Our form of government requires a degree of citizen participation. Go. Ask questions. Try to get a handle on what sort of issues our elected officials are dealing with.
•Eat a new food. Try something you’ve never had before. You don’t have to like it, but at least you can chalk it up as a new experience. And now and then you’ll be surprised.
•Pick up litter. You spot yet another Polar Pop cup in the gutter, but instead of just grumbling about it, pick it up. It’s not someone else’s responsibility. It is yours. Pick it up. (If you’re hiking, it’s a good idea to take a trash bag along. Two missions accomplished at once.)
•Write a letter. No, not an email, a real letter. Send it to someone who will be surprised and delighted when the envelope is opened.
None of those is really hard to do. And they’re all a heck of a lot easier than “lose 20 pounds” or “quit smoking” or a dozen other resolutions that will be broken by the end of the week.
It’s up to you, because 2018 really is a blank slate and a fresh start. Enjoy it.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD