Ah….finally 2017! Who would have thought it would be here so soon? Just three years away is 2020, and we’ll be out of our teens.
I think it’s time to put it down on paper, a resolution letter. What is it we “resolve” to do in the next three years to make ourselves, our lives and our world a better place? For me, resolutions are more easily accomplished if they are broken down into small steps. My resolution letter for 2017 will look something like this:
I will start with myself. What can I do better this year? A Facebook post by a neighbor who resolved last year to lose weight recently inspired me. It wasn’t out of vanity; it was out of love for his family. He wanted to be there for them, and he knew if he didn’t take better care of himself that wouldn’t happen. I know that I could take better care of myself. It’s not just about outward appearances for me, but about feeling better. So, I resolve to eat better and feel better in the process. Thanks Casey for the inspiration!
When I say our lives, I mean “our community,” after all, what lives do we have if we are not caring about each other? I have met so many people in both the community where I grew up, and in the community I now live that put themselves out there for other people.
It’s not always about the big things; sometimes the smallest effort can make the greatest impact. If you don’t think small things can effect change, try walking around with a rock in your shoe for a day.
There is a girl in Annandale whom I have never met but she made me smile, and I think of her when I talk of small things making a difference. Her mom posted a video of her dancing for the kids at her bus stop. What an amazing way to start your day! I am telling you there wasn’t a kid without a smile in that video. I don’t know that my dancing would bring a smile to anyone other than outright laughter, but I think I could “resolve” to look for opportunities to be a day brightener for someone else. Thank you, Megan, for your inspiration!
Making our world better seems hard, so this year I will start small. I am embarrassed to say that I am not a recycler. It’s hard because we do not have recycling pick up where we live. There was a time when every can, bottle, and box was sorted and brought to the curb in the city. The last 14 years have led to a lapse in recycling for no other reason than laziness. I promise that I will change my ways in 2017 and set up a recycling system in our home. These plastic bottles and cans do not belong in a landfill wrecking the soil of our beautiful planet.
To you, the readers of this column, my resolutions are simple. I resolve to bring you recipes of the highest deliciousness, write your stories that are closest to my heart and to tell you just how much I appreciate you! (There, one resolution done!)
Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word. Goran Persson
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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