For Release January 2, 2005

New Year's Resolutions

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

For some strange reason, I enjoy making New Year's Resolutions for other people. I'm not saying that some (or all) of these don't apply to myself as well, but I naturally think that what's good for me is good for the rest of society as well! So have a little fun with these, but understand that buried, sometimes not so deep, in the humor, is a little bit of truth for all of us!

In the coming year, resolve to spend one day a month without technology. Note that I separate "modern conveniences" from technology. So take one day a month and turn off the cell phone, not just mute it, turn it off. Go a day without checking your e-mail, in fact don't even turn on the computer. Spend the day outside or curl up with a good book. Maybe even go so far as not even turning on the television. Listen to the radio, or some favorite music, but not on you fancy MP3 player, and work on a jig saw puzzle or do something together as a family. In other words, an old fashioned low-tech kind of day! Make the kids leave the DVD players and the gaming equipment at home or turned off. It will do us all good!

Resolve to spend one evening a week working in the yard or garden from April through September. For some this may be easy to do as we spend regular time gardening. But for others it may be a rare occurrence to be outside like this. This doesn't have to be strenuous work. You can simply spend time clipping a few dead blossoms off the flowers, or pulling a few weeds or hand watering some of the plants and flower pots. The key is to be outside enjoying the natural world.

During 2005 resolve to get to know your neighbors better. According to everything you hear and read lately, we could be getting a lot of new neighbors in the coming year or two. There's nothing like getting to know the people and families next door, around the corner or down the block to help everyone feel more at home, even if you have lived in your home for many years. Sometimes we become very comfortable with the same neighbors for years and years. But then people move and it just "isn't the same". Getting to know your new neighbors can help that comfortable feeling return!

Resolve to expand your horizons. This isn't a tough thing to do. An easy way is to once a month go to a restaurant you haven't been to before, or even one that you have gone to before, and order something different than you have before, especially something you've never tried anywhere. Okay, maybe you won't like it, but go into the experience with an open mind. The whole idea here is to stretch your senses, stretch your world and open your mind up to new possibilities. Comfort and security or nice, but they can become an anesthetic that numbs you into oblivion.

Finally, resolve to once a month attend a civic function or activity. This can be a school event or an organizational event. It can be as simple as attending a city or county commission meeting. I know that there are going to be opportunities for several types of local town hall meetings in 2005. The people putting these on are wanting input, so go!! Don't sit at home and think it won't make any difference. Because doing nothing is certainly not making any difference. Your opinion is just as important as mine or anyone else's, so make it heard.

So there you have some resolutions for 2005. I did all the hard part, I thought them up. All you have to do now, is enact them. Happy New Year!

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