FIVE CRUCIAL NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

The New Year’s morning terrorist attack in New Orleans reminds us that the world seems to grow darker, but I have ways to brighten my soul.

I take tragedy in New Orleans somewhat personally. My son Yosi used to live there and played drums and fiddle with two bands. Carolyn and I visited a number of times and got to know the city. So, I’m mourning. I’ll also adhere to five New Year’s resolutions made before the terrorist attack.

1. I will stop telling Carolyn which way to walk through the parking lot at Laurel Village shopping center. The lot can get confusing as we zigzag with groceries back to our car, but Carolyn’s a big girl. A happy Carolyn will illuminate 2025.

2. I will NOT cut sugar and carbs from my diet. I eat healthy, but I’m a big believer in the middle way, which means not depriving myself of the joy of goodies. I often say, “I will walk (four miles a day) to eat.”

3. I will laugh loudly at funny stuff. I often burst out over a comic strip like “Zits” or “Pearls Before Swine.” Or an episode of “The Simpsons.” Confession: Decades ago, I went a little overboard. Dr. Nick, the quack MD, tossed a hamster through the tiny basketball hoop attached to his waste basket. (I once had one—a hoop.) Carolyn thought I’d laugh myself to death. She still cautions me when I threaten to ring the bell at the top of the laugh meter.

4. I will enjoy every moment of my morning routine. It rings the bell on the enjoyment meter. I eat breakfast—cereal with blueberries, strawberries and banana—while I catch the news on my phone or read the Chron’s sports section (such as it is). I put coffee on, then take my morning walk. Returning, I have coffee, sometimes with a treat (see #2) and finish the newspaper while watching CNN. Next, I catch up on email and sports box scores, followed by the New York Times on my iPad. I conclude by playing Wordle. Recently, my 159-day streak got stopped, but I’m working on a new one of 20. Finally, I read part of the weekly Torah portion (in Hebrew). At last, I go up to my office to continue my writing projects.

5. I will follow my 11th Commandment while telling it like it is. That commandment: “You shall cut each other some slack.” Talk less, listen more, accept differences of opinion. Encouraging others to have their say builds the civility a decent society so badly needs—and ours so often lacks. That said, no one’s bullshit smells sweet. I will call out such preposterous President-elect ramblings as America taking over the Panama Canal, buying Greenland from Denmark, and insulting Canada and its Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, by calling our northern neighbor our 51st state. Sadly, 2025 looks like a year in which bullshit may get piled mouth high. Then again, if the White House and Congress make sense on an issue, I’ll acknowledge it.

My heart goes out to New Orleans. But as the book of Ecclesiastes advises, “The sun also rises.” I won’t turn from the darkness. I’ll keep moving towards the light.

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