A Year of New

So this is the time of year that everyone makes those New Years resolutions and within 10 days promptly forgets them. Wouldn't it be amazing if just once everyone decided to learn something new this year. Or began to think in new ways. Or made new friends of different races or religions. Personally, I would like to see some New Year's lists like this:

1. Read a on-line foreign newspaper to discover how news is covered in different lands and what people there are thinking.

2. Volunteer for one day with an organization that diametrically opposed to something you hold near and dear. See if you learn anything new and in the process discover something new about you.

3. Learn something new about the person sitting next to you in church, on the bus, or at the gym. Act on that information in a way that benefits that person or others.

4. Let your child see you look at them in a new way with love and delight in your eyes. Let them see how you viewed them the first time you laid your eyes on them and let them see that tenderness everyday.

5. Learn a new skill this year that can help others. Whether it is glass blowing or auto mechanics someone, somewhere will someday benefit from your new knowledge.

6. Look for new ways to rectify injustice in your town. Speak up when others refuse to do anything about racism, or unequal access or education.

7. Give of your natural skills and abilities. Teach others what you know and value.

New. Its wonderful, enlightning and scary but it might just lead to something remarkable.