Dear Neighbor,
For us Easterners, January can be a tough month, with those long cold months staring us in the face as we recover from too much food, drink and obligatory social events. It can be depressing, but perhaps more so this month than ever. There are not a great number of bright spots on the horizon, no matter where in the U.S. you live, so we must manufacture our own. For me, this topic comes in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. I embrace them, and I don’t care whether I keep any or not. I’m still making my bed daily from a resolution I made seven years ago, so that’s a win. My kitchen is spotless before I turn in, another win (I used to fill my kitchen sink with laundry detergent and soak several days’ worth of dishes overnight.) I may, or I may not, completely clean up and reorganize my over-the-top messy office. I may, or I may not, clean up my digital files.
But here are some resolutions I intend to keep, and I hope you do, too. We’ll all be the better for doing so:
Your friend,
Anne
For us Easterners, January can be a tough month, with those long cold months staring us in the face as we recover from too much food, drink and obligatory social events. It can be depressing, but perhaps more so this month than ever. There are not a great number of bright spots on the horizon, no matter where in the U.S. you live, so we must manufacture our own. For me, this topic comes in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. I embrace them, and I don’t care whether I keep any or not. I’m still making my bed daily from a resolution I made seven years ago, so that’s a win. My kitchen is spotless before I turn in, another win (I used to fill my kitchen sink with laundry detergent and soak several days’ worth of dishes overnight.) I may, or I may not, completely clean up and reorganize my over-the-top messy office. I may, or I may not, clean up my digital files.
But here are some resolutions I intend to keep, and I hope you do, too. We’ll all be the better for doing so:
- Have more fun that you purposefully enter into your calendar. Take time to study our many events in this Neighborly News, and you’ll find January isn’t so boring after all. I started last night by inviting an old friend of my son’s to surprise him and show up for his birthday dinner. It was a shockingly good evening, filled with laughter.
- Get outside more, because Nature is nurturing.
- Now to the word “nurturing,” and this is the big one that does so for you and those you include. A. Be a friend, and not just a passive friend. Actively engage in keeping your friendship(s) strong. Here’s a way to make it manageable:
- Pick out one you need to forgive (without telling them you’re forgiving them and without whining about your problems and all the reasons you’ve decided to forgive them. Just apologize for being such an _ss.
- Reconnect with three you’ve ignored but don’t need to forgive for anything—just probably because you spend two hours a day looking at TikTok, Facebook and the latest wild news stories. You are forgiven; do better, and I’ll try, too.
- Pick one that you just need to take better care of, because. . .
- And pick one on the edge of your horizon with whom you’ve always thought you’d like to spend more time.
Your friend,
Anne
