As we say goodbye to 2011 and turn the page to Jan. 1, revelry will surely ensue. It’s the one day of the year most recognize as a new start; a chance to get it right.
Most resolutions will quickly fade, although we don’t wish that for anyone. We know that kicking bad habits or trimming the waistline are not easy feats. Getting organized or coming up with a life altering plan isn’t an overnight phenomenon. Anything worth doing takes work and dedication.
Luckily, every day is a chance to start fresh. As any evening of any day fades and the sun sets, we all have a chance at a new tomorrow. A new day is always just a few hours away.
With that frame of reference we hope that 2012 is a year for many new beginnings.
As adults know only too well, a great part of our working life is making enough money to raise a family. Racing from home to job and home again, it’s pretty easy to lose track of the notion that raising a family or keeping friendships alive is about time invested rather than money spent. We hope this coming year affords people a little more time for a hug and an open ear for family and friends.
We also hope the magic of food becomes more apparent this year. Rather than eating on the run, we hope for more leisurely breakfasts on the weekend with a table full of family. As crazy as it sounds, we’d like to have enough time to look at fruit, maybe an apple or a berry, to marvel at its taste or the crunch of its skin when first bitten. Perhaps a spare minute to take in the smell of an orange as its zesty flavour sprays into the air when first opened would be a treat.
As winter finally descends this year we hope for time in the bush to show the kids the gentle tracks wildlife make in the snow. Sheltered from the winds that rip across open fields we hope to share the quiet silence of the forest, only broken by the cry of a bird or the sigh of an old tree top heaving and twisting under the weight of a snowy blanket.
Once back from the trek to the forest, the wood stove will be stoked and hot chocolate poured. The faint smell of burning maple hangs in the air as the warmth circulates off the cast sides like a hot bubble bath. As the bite of winter eases from stiff joints and freezing limbs, it’s a good time for a winter hug and to talk about the memories made.
Come February, if not sooner, we hope to hear the sharp whimper of a newborn baby. Again, family will assemble to check out baby brother or sister as they have before. This will be number four and probably our last, until grandkids come years down the road. We hope to take time, this time for sure, to remember without photos to remind, how small those hands and feet are and how fragile life is.
Each season brings with it smells and feelings we hope to enjoy. As spring breaks the smell of a world coming back to life, gardens will be planted, tended through the summer and harvested in the fall. We hope for time to breathe that in all year long as each change happens.
Appreciating what we have every day might be the best resolution to keep. Happy New Year on behalf of our publisher and staff.
