New Year's resolutions are overrated if you ask me. It's not that I don't think they can be helpful in terms of taking stock of what we might be needing, or committing to doing something that is important, fun, necessary, relaxing, or different. Maybe it's simply carrying on and promising oneself to stay the course. Resolutions have never worked for me in part because I don't remember them for very long. What I am fond of, however, is to take time for a review of the old year. I want to think about what I did, what we did, what I and we wish we had done differently, what we are glad we did and what is worth preserving, modifying or adding. Which I suppose is called "making a resolution". I just don't like calling it that. A friend of mine said one New Years Eve, "Tell me what your intentions are for the new year". And somehow that sat better with me. It was a way to honor something worthy of honoring without "resolving" to do it one way or another and then feeling grossly disappointed when things didn't pan out as planned. Intentions...it's a softer landing with forgiveness when we don't follow through. And let's face it, don't we all fall a little short at times with the following through business?

My intentions for 2017? At this moment, I intend to continue what I've started since moving off Skylark; settling in, getting healthy, making time for family, finding a place where I can give of myself on a larger scale. The adjustments are sometimes huge, other times not so much. The health challenges make everything more complicated and if there's one resolution I can claim it is to take my health seriously. But that's nothing new. I did it last year and the year before that and will always do it. It isn't about the New Year. I think yesterday is not much different from today. What I intended in 2016, I continue to intend in 2017.

So Happy New Year, regardless of what you do or believe or stop doing. I hope it's a good year for you individually, and for our nation and most importantly for our world.