Happy 2015!
Who else is looking at that twice, thinking it must be incorrect? I’m still grasping it and in this moment am somewhat grateful I write very few checks anymore. Remember those days? The day of check writing and the weeks or months it would take for you to get the year right in the date field.
Last week I finally sat down and started logging all our family, school and extracurricular events in my ‘smart phone.’ This would seem to be a relatively easy thing to do, yet for some reason none of my events would ‘save.’
I wondered, was there an update glitch? Was my phone syncing to another device via the ‘cloud’ and causing a ‘conflict?’ This thought process lasted a good 5 to 10 minutes. I was puzzled.
Just as I was about to send a friend an SOS text, I discovered the problem. My upcoming events could not be saved in the 2014 dates I continued to access. I needed to scroll forward. So while it seems I possess a ‘smart phone,’ it must be operated by an equally savvy owner (to some degree). Personally, I would have been just fine, not to mention entertained if good ol’ Siri just would have said “Hey! Goofy! Scroll forward.” That would have saved me a bit of time and brought a giggle or two.
So now here were are. Well into the new millennium, a year of fresh, new and hopeful beginnings. Some of you may subscribe to the resolution theory. If so, I offer you all the best and Godspeed. Mostly I encourage you to not give up.
Statistically most resolutions are gone by the wayside by February 1. I’d like to challenge you with this. If on January 25 you realize your particular resolution has slipped, just start again. That’s the beauty, it’s yours to manage. One bad day, week or handful of weeks does not make you defeated. Throwing in the towel and hands in the air, yep! that does.
I’m constantly challenging myself with new things. Be it fewer visits to my favorite Baristas or eating in more. I’m the person who sees each day as new opportunity; I don’t wait for the calendar to change. This may be part of my ‘smartphone’ dilemma.
Whatever your goals for yourself on this day or in this new year, I hope you have some. We never grow too old for new challenges. Stretching ourselves beyond our comfort is how we grow. It awakens our zest for life and there is a big wide world out there waiting to be lived.
One of my most favorite quotes is from Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
It’s my belief this starts with you. As we improve, the lives of those we love improve and it just takes on a ripple effect. So here’s to fresh starts and a stream which has yet to ripple.
Happy New Year!
Teresa Hammond is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. She may be reached at thammond@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 847-3021.
