Another Year Winding Down

It is difficult to believe that another year is coming to an end. The question going through my mind recently is, how did we arrive here so quickly?

Funny how time passes so much faster as we age. Sometimes I dream of going back to when I was younger, and it seemed as if time moved at a more leisurely pace. Of course, we did not have the worries and responsibilities of our parents, which made it easier to enjoy whatever life brought our way.

As I look back to the beginning of 2021, I recall being optimistic about what the new year would look like. Never would I have imagined that we would still be held captive by a pandemic that started almost two years ago. And yet, here we are.

In spite of this virus, and the limitations it has put on our lives, we have endured and continued to push through. The human spirit is amazing and resilient. Regardless of what we are faced with in life, we have the tendency to search for the things that make our days brighter.

As I focus my attention on 2022, I will once again approach it with optimism. We need to enter the new year with hope of better days on our horizon for the alternative is not acceptable. With this expectation in mind, here are a few simple New Year's resolutions that can make each day brighter.

• Count your blessings instead of your troubles.
• Smile at those you encounter each day; smiles can be contagious.
• Spread happiness wherever you go.
• Compliment a stranger, it could turn their day around.
• Give to those less fortunate, you will be surprised how much you receive from this gesture.
• Be kind to everyone you meet.

My wish is that our new year will be filled with optimism and brighter days. May each of us do our part to make this come to fruition.