A New Year, A New Chance

There's something about the beginning of a new year that excites my imagination. I think about having 12 months in front of me, 365 brand-new days to learn something new or achieve something I've never done before.

The type of resolutions I appreciate are the ones that make you a better person. Things like having more patience or making the time to do something special with someone for no good reason. The older I get the more I realize that sometimes it's hard to find the time (or make the time) to accomplish this. And time is certainly finite. On New Year's Eve when I look back at the past year it amazes and scares me just how fast the past year went. What were the memorable moments? Did they include my loved ones? I hope so.

I do not want my epitaph to wax poetic about what a great employee I was or how well I "did" Christmas (although that wasn't a problem this year). I love my work and I work hard to do a good job. When I get my annual evaluation I hope that it results in a raise that recognizes my efforts. But it's not so easy to measure someone's success as a person. Wouldn't it be kind of neat if that's what we did on New Year's Eve? Spend time looking back at the past year and recognize people for the big and little ways that they've made a difference to someone?

So, when I drink my champagne tonight I'll be making a wish: that somehow I'll make a difference to someone this year. I want someone to be glad that I was there and that I was "me". A string of these little "differences" is what I want to be remembered for - and that's the best resolution I can make.