The Timeless Charm of New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions are timeless and charming for so many reasons.

First of all, deep down, we know we’re not going to keep them…not most of them, or not for a whole year anyway. But we still make them, year after year, enthusiastically.

Second, we probably saw our Mom or Dad make them, and who among us doesn’t tend to do things like Mom or Dad did them?

Third, all our friends make resolutions and when they ask us about our resolutions, and nobody wants to say “I didn’t make any.”

And then, there is always the chance, however slim, that with our resolution we will gain a productive new habit or help us learn something new that sticks with us for life.

But what I love the most about new Year’s resolutions as Executive Director of The Willows is getting to see how enduring this tradition is. I am surrounded by residents who make a new set of resolutions, every year of their lives. And that is inspiring.

Many seniors make New Year’s resolutions. They stop me in the hall to share them with me, just as excited about them as the first ones they made.

Which brings me to the reason that New Year’s Resolutions are so charming. They restore youth. They restore hope, they remind us that even after a long and full life, we have the energy and enthusiasm for new goals. Every single year.

Resolutions are not just for the young. They are timeless. They are for all of us. They unite us and keep us working towards a better life together. And that is a wonderful thing.

Call me some time, I’d love to hear your resolutions, and the stories that go with them.

Reach me anytime on my cell. It is 485-6172. Let’s make this New Year better than the last.

Love,

Jennifer Stanley

The Willows of Marshalltown