Pat Bean's blog

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.” Neil Gaiman

I want to take time to smell the flowers and enjoy Mother Nature in 2016. — Photo by Pat Bean

Kindness

            I toasted the New Year into being with two dear friends and with my last Jack and Coke of the evening; and then the three of us burned our New Year’s resolutions in a bowl on my balcony, sending our intentions smokily drifting up into the cold night air.

And so ended 2015 and 2016 began.

And I want to play more. I’m third from the right floating down the Little Colorado into the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon in 1999.

Steven Spielberg says that every single year we’re a different person. I agree 110 percent.

My two friends said the way they wanted to be different in the coming year was that they wanted to be kinder. An admirable resolution for one, an outspoken, cheeky woman whom I treasure, but a redundancy for the other who is one of the kindest people I know.

I think of myself as a kind person, but as the others spoke, I realized I was not that kind as I seldom go out of my way do kind things for others. Perhaps, I thought, this should be one of my New Year’s Resolutions, too.

It’s certainly a resolution that the entire world could use during this time of terrorism, war, beheadings, rapes, and mockery of others on television. We’re all guilty of the latter one. If such atrocities as making fun of how people dress, or look, or are simply different didn’t attract viewers, such media behavior would disappear.

Then there is the recent political rhetoric about Muslims that has made a Muslim friend of mine, one who was born in America and is one of the most peace-loving people I know, afraid to go to the grocery store.

Yes. Purposely and thoughtfully, I added kindness to my New Year’s Resolutions. I believe it is the only way that 2016 can end up being a different and better world.

What do you think?

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Bean Pat: Daily Essay http://tinyurl.com/z7yu6pe Tongue in cheek about New Year’s Resolutions. If you’re a writer, I bet these will make you laugh