By Bonnie Brown
Columnist

Hello, 2023!

Welcome to the possibilities that this new calendar might present. What are you thankful to leave behind in 2022? What do you
want to do in 2023?

We remember that we were all ready to see 2020 gone, to be rid of the year of Covid. But, sadly, Covid didn’t leave us when we
opened the door on New Year’s Eve to usher Covid out in 2020. It is still with us.

Nearly everyone thinks about making resolutions for the new year. Things we want to do. I have been known to make
resolutions, usually very quietly since like many others, I fail miserably in keeping them.

There was a list from Country Living Magazine that published resolutions for 2023 that are more realistic and that you can
actually keep such as schedule more time with friends, get outside more and connect with nature, pay someone a compliment –
and mean it.

Another one was making your bed, which makes your surroundings more attractive and feel cleaner and another was to keep
your car clean. These give you the feeling of accomplishment. The list went on to include reading more, learning a new hobby,
taking more road trips. What is appealing is that these are all do-able unlike some other resolutions we have all made in the
past.

We all pray that the senseless violence and murders will cease in our cities and communities, that the war in Ukraine will end,
that there will be a cure for Alzheimer’s, for cancer, for heart disease, etc. So many things over which I have no control except
through prayer.

There are over 80,000 written “hopes” on the Time Squares Wishing Wall as of Christmas Eve. They included a wish that they
would get to go to their dream school, another whose wish is to get a handle on their anxiety, and a girl named Leah wished for
a fluffy white cat.

So perhaps writing down our hopes and wishes might be the key to actually formulating a plan to accomplish our desired goals
in 2023.

We seem to think that the New Year is like a clean slate but then comes the realization that’s simply not the case. And in most
cases, that’s a good thing. In fact, a very good thing.

I know I feel so fortunate to have a loving family and good friends. I reflect on my life and realize how truly blessed I am. I want
to add to that, to welcome and embrace new opportunities.

The quote by American author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, sums it up for me. “Life is an echo. What you send out
comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.”

Happy New Year and all best wishes for 2023.