Ah, resolutions for the new year. Eat less, exercise more. Save more money. Find a new job. Do something you’ve always wanted to do but never took the time to do. Be more spiritual. Be less uptight. Change for the better. The list goes on and on.
All worthy goals. Too bad most of them won’t last until the end of January.
I hope you stick with your personal goals longer than that. I hope I stick with my personal goals longer than that.
You see, I always have goals, both short-term and long-term. It’s how I’m programmed. Without goals, my life feels empty. I don’t have to wait for the new year to set them. It is an ongoing part of life for me.
The past year has placed me in a very different world, one that has opened my eyes to situations I was always aware of but not always able to comprehend. I’m sure you’ve experienced similar paths. That new perspective has altered my goals somewhat, although I confess I’ve always thought along these lines. I just didn’t always act upon them.
When President George H. W. Bush talked about the thousand points of light, he was referring to what each one of us can do, individually, to make our communities better. By making our communities better, we make our country better. And, as overly optimistic as it sounds, I believe making our country better can help make the world better. One person at a time.
If you follow my blog at all, you know I sometimes post about what we can do for others. Well, that’s the point of my blog today. I am challenging you, along with myself, to be a point of light, no matter what your circumstances.
Resolve to be the person helping others. Resolve to make your home, your neighborhood, your workplace, your community better places to be. Resolve to think of others instead of yourself. Instead of myself.
It doesn’t have to be big. You (and I) can start small. If you’re wondering what I’m talking about, here are some suggestions:
- Have an elderly neighbor or someone handicapped? Set their garbage out for them each week and bring up the can. Even if they have relatives in town who can do it for them, you are right there and will save the relative a trip, thereby helping two people instead of just one.
- Go to a nursing home and visit some residents who never have visitors. See if the home will let you bring your dog, k if your dog is people-friendly. Offer to read aloud to those who would like to listen. Check with the activities director about other things you can do. Just an hour out of your week.
- Offer to babysit for a young mother––for free––to allow her some “me” time. Just an hour, once a week. She can run errands or jut soak in the tub. If once a week is too often, shoot for once a month.
- Volunteer at a local after-school program. Help kids with their homework. Volunteer to coach a sports team. Give free music lessons. Teach them to draw or paint.
- Check with the local senior citizens center about opportunities. You can deliver meals or provide needed services for the disabled elderly.
I’m sure you can think of more, so I won’t keep going on. But I do have a twist.
To those of you who are handicapped/disabled in some way, those of you who are lonely, those of you who are struggling––you can do things for others too. Yes, those of us in better health should think of you, but sometimes you can get so caught up in your own unhappiness, you forget to reach out to help others. You can send a card or make a phone call. You can be appreciative of what others do for you. If someone takes the time to come visit you, you can reward their efforts by being pleasant, not constantly complaining, by asking them about their lives. Doing for others is not restricted to the younger and the healthier. (Disclaimer note: I wrote this because I have a friend who cares for an elderly parent who is never appreciative of what her daughter does for her and always complains. I also have some relatives who constantly go on and on about their arthritis, etc. Nothing wrong with complaining at times as it helps to relieve our stress, but some people carry it too far!)
A better community begins with you and me. While it is worthy and needed to have personal goals to improve our health, secure our financial situations, and even realize our “things I always wanted to do but never did” list, it doesn’t hurt to look beyond ourselves to make life better for others.
Happy 2020, everyone. Here’s hoping we all strive to be a light in our little corner of the world!
Life As I know it 