It is the New Year, a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. For 2006, let’s dispense with the typical New Year’s resolutions. We may want to lose weight or quit smoking. We may want to get a handle on our finances or our children. And we may want, and need, to get busy doing all of those things because our health, well-being, and families tie right back into our communities.
But I’d like to suggest a new set of resolutions that are actually not so new. I suggest we rededicate ourselves to some old resolutions, ones we tend to forget until we’re up against the wall. The resolutions I offer will move us forward as a community and as individuals--and they’re not hard to do.
1. Give of your time once this year.
2. Remember those that paved the way for you (i.e., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sojourner Truth, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks) and honor their memories by emulating them in some way. Take a moment and read More Than A Dreamer in this month’s issue. It’s not always about resistance. Sometimes it’s about evolution. | | 3. Register to vote - do it now – and take someone with you. The next big election will not take place in 2008. They will take place this year and changes in 2008 will need to begin two years early.
4. Be heard! Be seen! Write your senator at least once this year. Sign a petition. Join a rally (this month’s MLK Day Marade is a good start).
5. And while you’re raising a little ruckus, don’t forget to make peace with someone you’ve been on the outs with. It’s good for the heart, mind and soul.
None of these things cost money. All can be done in the course of one day. And they actually contribute to our health and the health of our respective communities.
--Tracy Williams
--Managing Editor |
