Fresh Start for the New Year

New Year’s resolutions have always been a lesson in futility for me. Like the time I tried to give up my pipe. I lasted about two weeks before I went back to my tobacco.

It wasn’t until my cardiologist read me the riot act that I gave up smoking altogether six years ago. And I don’t miss it one iota.

The dawn of a new year is waiting to greet you.

Then came the time I noticed a little pot around my belly. I would devote the year to eating properly and exercising faithfully. The workouts still continue. If only I can refrain from those snacks. Being a junk food junkie hasn’t helped my cause.

I vowed to grow more active in my church, perform a good act daily, smile and not frown in the throes of despair, spend more time with my family, and become more charitable. I opted to do more volunteer work, keep my television habits under control, and become more calculating with my finances.

All this led me to an obvious conclusion.

The only sure way to “keep” your New Year’s resolutions is inside a safe deposit box. Or, keep them to yourself. Either way, others won’t share your disappointment.

If this sounds familiar, let’s try a different approach this year. Part with your resolutions and try a fresh start instead. By that I mean a new beginning, folks. It’s time to forget about our past scruples and look to the future with promise and conviction.

First on my list would be to patch up an old wound. Call or visit a friend or relative with whom you’ve had a misunderstanding and get over it. Invite them to lunch or send them an apologetic card. Rekindle the bond you had with that individual before it’s too late and you’re sorry.

Visit that person in the nursing home you’ve intended to see, but haven’t gotten around to. And if time permits, lend a hand with volunteering. You can always help with activities or share a hobby like art or music.

I know a fellow who donated a piano in memory of his mom and stops by every week to fill the place with music. The therapy he exudes is better than medicine.

Take a refreshment course at your vocational school or community college, maybe in cooking or auto mechanics, astronomy or photography. The potential is endless. Do something for yourself and become all the better and happier for it. It’s never too late to learn a foreign language or take up an instrument.

Discover the hidden treasures at your local library. Books are but one resource, not to mention CDs, DVDs, and enrichment programs. It’s just a quiet place to gather your thoughts. Browsing is an art.

Take up a fitness class with a friend. You’re guaranteed to feel uplifted after a good workout and shower, especially on a cold winter’s day. It’s the best “fix” in town for the money, an investment into your health and welfare.

Support your local community. Check out the calendar and see what’s available. I could have traveled to Boston for a rendition of “A Christmas Carol”; instead, I chose to remain local and attended the production at Haverhill High. The place was packed and the spirit was unsurpassed. A $5 senior ticket was cheaper than an ornament.

In this era of political and spiritual apathy, help put patriotism back into our schools and respect the values on which this country was founded. If students take only a passive interest in it, what does that say for America’s future?

If able, walk more and ride less. Get those legs moving. For more vigorous folks, the mountains are calling you. Take a hike. You don’t have to be Mount Washington. A walk through the woods will put you in touch with God’s world.

Take a more sincere interest in the activities of your children. Join the Booster Clubs of your city and help promote the schools they attend. Don’t push. Guide. If you have an athlete in your family, don’t be conspicuous with your absence.

Adopt a pet. Visit an animal shelter and take your pick. The companionship does wonders if you live alone.

Take care of yourself. Laugh and be happy. Keep your mind and body active. Don’t vegetate. Get that leaky faucet repaired, once and for all, and plan a get-away, even for a weekend somewhere cheap. Don’t be a prisoner in your own home.

As resolutions go, one thing we should give up is “giving up.” If you’re depressed or jobless, have lost a spouse or ended a relationship, don’t give up.

It’s a new year, and a renaissance.

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Tom Vartabedian

Tom Vartabedian is a retired journalist with the Haverhill Gazette, where he spent 40 years as an award-winning writer and photographer. He has volunteered his services for the past 46 years as a columnist and correspondent with the Armenian Weekly, where his pet project was the publication of a special issue of the AYF Olympics each September.