The Year Ahead

Welcome 2013!

It’s the tradition to start the year with a handful of New Year’s resolutions that we all know few if any will ever be carried out. Think about it, if I had delivered on all the times I promised to quit smoking (long before I really did some 15+ years ago), if I actually lost all the weight I promised to lose over the years or if I exercised as much as I promised I would either be dead from exhaustion or the healthiest man on the planet.

Don’t get me wrong, I applaud all that can keep their resolutions and actually see them through, both of you. Perhaps it’s what we are trying to accomplish with our resolutions that is the issue. Rather than attempting to reinvent ourselves, what if we just made some ‘minor’ adjustments that will change the way we look at everything.

Here are a couple of examples. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t watch the late night news. Why go to bed thinking of all the bad things going on in the world. Trust me, they will still be there in the morning but you will likely sleep better and have a different approach to the new day.

How about changing the last six cups of coffee in the day to decaf (the horror)? Trust me, the first six cups of regular coffee you had will keep you going. Maybe you find yourself a little less on edge and a bit more patient about things in general.

What about parking in the next row out from your destination or stairs instead of the elevator? A few extra steps each day can be a very healthy thing. It may not be as healthy as a walk everyday or an hour at the gym but you will feel that you started something.

Sometimes I think we have this all or nothing mentality. That’s all well and good but resolutions, like so many things in life, don’t have to be all or nothing. We can “compromise” and take some smaller steps first in order to accomplish the larger goal. Sometimes it’s simply a better attitude, or another prospective or taking the first step toward a larger goal.

Just something to think about as we launch ourselves into the New Year.

More later… in 2013

Violence

It’s been a very difficult weekend for our Country as we deal with another senseless act of violence. It does not matter the season, nor is there any reason for such an act that has affected us all in some way.

As has been pointed out, violence has always been with us. Even the Bible is full of examples, think Kane and Abel. It still does not make it right. It certainly does not keep us from trying to prevent the next attempt at such an unspeakable act.

Yes, there will be those that jump on guns or video games as being the cause. Others will attempt to find blame with the parents or the family. Still others will conjure up reasons or causes that have nothing to do with the one simple word we all ask. Why?

In nearly all the cases of mass violence, either in our Country or abroad, there is seemingly one common trait that is ignored. That is the mental health of the perpetrator. The commentary after the fact is that this person was a “disturbed’ individual. That seems to justify the reason for the violence and we all move on and forget about it until the next time.

Well, this is the next time. We already know that this person was “disturbed” as so many have already stated. Let’s use this time to attempt to understand where our system dropped the ball. Let’s learn from these most recent acts and try to identify the resources needed to help and treat those that are most at risk. No, we will not stop all acts of violence in the future, we will never save all the future victims but think of the lives and families we could save… including that of a potential perpetrator.

We have for too long ignored or decided to turn our backs on issues of mental health. We make excuses like the programs are an invasion of privacy, they cost too much, and they leave a stigma on those identified or treated. Perhaps these are all true but the families of those affected by these events have had their privacy invaded and will pay the costs in ways we could never know for the rest of their lives.

None of this should keep us from grieving for the victims and the families affected. None of this should stop us from hugging our children or our grandchildren just a bit longer. It will not stop us as we attempt to protect them from the world outside as long as we can. This time we need to do more.

Perhaps you will find hope in your faith, or in your spiritual life. I hope we will all find ways to deal with our sadness and sorrow over this particular event in the days ahead. Let’s just not let that be the end of it.

More later

A Seasonal Wish

As they say…and now for something completely new and different.

Over the past couple of years this column has centered around all things political in Marina, with a very few exceptions. While I certainly will continue to weigh in on the many issues that face our community in the future I want to enlarge the palette a bit and incorporate many other ideas, issues, concerns and hopes. Most will directly or indirectly still affect our Marina community.

Let’s start off on a positive note! The election season is over and a new year is just around the corner. We are just now getting into the holiday spirit with Marina’s Christmas Tree Lighting coming this Friday night (rain or shine). The lights are going up all around town and soon we will put up our tree.

We have all spent the past year hearing about this argument or that one. We have been concerned about our economy, our kid’s education, stories about corruption here or there and seemingly one crisis after another. Can we stop already?

Not to be overly idealistic or optimistic but I am sure I am not the only one that is ready to get off this merry go round at least for a couple of weeks. Maybe we can all try to find a way to do it this year.

What if you put up an extra string of lights, play a little more Christmas music, bake an extra batch of cookies, visit an extra store or two or even turn off the evening news for a couple of weeks. The world will still be there but my bet is that you will feel a bit better about it and that’s a start.

So much of our days are filled with things that seemingly wear us down and in some ways divide us. Let’s take a little extra time this season and make an effort to come together as individuals and as a community. It really won’t take much to make it happen.

That’s my wish for the holiday season. What’s yours? I hope to see you at the Christmas Tree Lighting on Friday night to sing a song, have some cookies and share a laugh or two.

More later