Resolutions

​Well it is that time of year again.  Resolution time.  New Years resolutions.
I don’t do that too often for I reckon people seem to be mostly setting themselves up for a fall.  I know I was.  I do think it is good to set a day when it is something in my mind to do anyway.  A change in year is pretty significant.  Never again will it be 2021.
No doubt many say good riddance.  There were heaps of not so good things that happened both in my world and the world at large.  Not least of which is this getting older.  Little did I realize the day would come when I bend down to do something and think “what else can I do while I’m down here.”
Recently we had a tree blow down and this morning I dealt with it.  Ok it was not a tree the size where it took three people with arms outstretched to measure the trunk.  But it was big enough.  Fishing story big.  I’ve finished now but I am aware of muscles I never knew existed.
But for me there were good things.  This last year has been my most significant ever I think.   I feel the future is full of hope.  I know things will get darker.  Yet the darker it is, the brighter the light shines.  Inside me there is a light.  It may or may not be obvious to others, but it is to me.
While I may not be into resolutions, I read something today I reckon is good for any time.  The start of the year is a good place to start.  It is adapted from something suggested by a guy called Sam Rainer in his blog. 

1. I will listen more. Vision is compelling but far too little effort goes into listening. Grand vision flops when it lacks the foundation of listening.
2. I will have an attitude of gratefulness. I will rid myself of a sense of entitlement.  I will be thankful for the little things.  Many little things make a big thing.
3. I will practice forgiveness. Practice makes perfect.  Forgiveness is very under-practiced.  Yet for me it is a biggy.  For me not to forgive is to suggest I am better then another.  I know I’m not.  I am not the set standard for goodness.  I was forgiven. 
4. I will encourage. I will not wait for others to do it first.  I will be first.  I will encourage a culture of encouragement. 
5. I will be an example of discipline. Discipline for me is doing the right thing at the right time.  It is being ruled by my heart and not my feelings.  It is spending the proper amount of time with Merril. It is reading books and managing my time.  
6. I will laugh more. I can take myself too seriously.  I have found that laughter tends to make me a more enjoyable person to be around. 
7. I will continue to take injustice seriously and get alongside people who have trouble fighting for themselves.
8. I will love more.  Not the feeling love but the hands and feet love.  The practical love.  The doing love.

To me they are resolutions worth making.  They are good for any time.  January 1 or January 15.  Now there is a coincidence as that happens to be my birthday.  What are the chances?
No matter what anyone decides at this time, I trust 2022 will be your best year so far.