Articles
A New Year, A New View
By Monica A. Dixon, Ph.D., R.D
Now that 2001 has shot by with lightning speed, we are faced again with that annual tradition of cleansing and renewal; the New Year’s resolution. Everywhere we read or hear that times have changed, that the old is new again since the tragedies of 9/11. America has stepped aside a moment for reflection, the stock market hasn’t proven to be the get-rich scheme it promised, families are coming together again and times, they are a changin’.
Given the nature of events in America the past few months, perhaps it’s time to relook this rite of clarification and new beginnings. Somehow, losing twenty pounds or balancing the checkbook monthly seems trivial when compared to the state of the world today. Reporters repeatedly reminded us in the days following the bombings that life would never be the same, and it clearly is not. There are more shadows even in the sunlight, more questions and fewer answers, more trepidation and less conviction. As a mom, I nearly always knew the answers to the questions my children asked, but now, my gut tells me that nothing I can tell them about the future is adequate to explain the unknown.
And so, we turn inward, to our faith, family and friends, our knowns in an unknown world. And as a country, we simultaneously find ourselves moving beyond the personal to the political, life beyond our doors, our shadows and our fears, to help construct a better world for the next generation.
Spending time organizing my checkbook will provide little benefit ten years from now; but assuring that my future grandchildren have plenty of parks in Lacey to run and play in assures long-range benefits. Therefore, I resolve to spend all my available energy working for the passage of the Lacey Parks Referendum in March. Working out alone at the gym three times a week will give me no where near the personal peace and connection to my family as will overhauling and organizing all of our recreational gear with my husband so that outdoor trips together this year will be a breeze. Forget trying endlessly to be less crabby with the kids; I’ll be much more effective spending more time in their schools helping to better their education. And finally, I’ll resolve to forgive and forget this year. The petty wrongs I’ve carried with me for years like a monkey on my back seem to no longer fit in this new and different world. Life is great, my family is well, and it’s time to toss the bitterness or resentment out with the trash.
As in all years, as sure as the sun rises, so will my resolve weaken or life try to pitch me a curve ball. Yet, this year will be different, for every one of us. As our resolve ebbs, our thoughts will return to the terror felt by those leaping from the Trade Center or flying in the doomed jets and we will be grateful for our lives, as turbulent they as they may seem. And we’ll be galvanized to not let their deaths go in vain.