The Power of Resolutions (01-01-07)

I sit here and begin writing at 12:33 in the morning. The New Year is just over a half an hour old, the kids and dogs are in bed, and all is quiet.

A perfect time to make a few New Year’s Resolutions.

Resolution #5: Take better care of myself. Meaning: watch the diet, try to exercise, and maybe cut down on the caffeine. Okay, nix the last part, but I could stand to shed a few pounds, firm up those I keep, and learn a little more about how to relax.

The way I see it, I have been blessed with a wonderful wife, three perfect kids (with another on the way) and a job that is always challenging, mostly satisfying, and often, a lot of fun. In other words, I have every reason to want to live as long as possible. So I hereby resolve to take better care of myself. Maybe that means switching from Mountain Dew to Diet Mountain Dew. It is a start.

Resolution #4: Take better care of others. Let’s face it, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for all the people who have helped me be where I am. Starting with my mom and sisters and ending with my wife and family, to all the students and staff at the high school and in the district, and to all our new friends here in Hill City, I resolve to do more to give back. I am searching for ways to take “How can I help?” to a new level.

Resolution #3: Be more appreciative. This is where the word “power” from the title comes into play. For parts of the last two days, my household has lost power. I had never been without power for more than a few minutes before in my life. (Yes, us big city Eastern Kansas types are a bit soft and spoiled. I’m sure a few more winter storms will toughen me up fairly quick!) My wife and I were faced with the challenge of keeping three small children (and ourselves) entertained without television, dvd’s, computer games, and the Internet.

However, the hours we were without was NOTHING compared with the outage time of hundreds, perhaps thousands in our area. My in-laws in Quinter have been without power for two FULL days and there is no end in sight. We heard a public service announcement from Midwest Energy apologizing for the delay in restoring power to their service area. They have brought in extra help and yet claim that it will still be days before all have power again.

I am thankful to live in a municipality that can generate its own electricity. We are lucky to have the fine folks at the Hill City Power Plant working at all hours and in all weathers. The fact that they restored our power each time it failed, sometimes in horrible weather, made me incredibly grateful that I am a high school principal, and do not have to fix broken power lines

So now I am resolved to be more appreciative for all the things I have (such as lights and heat), and to be more thankful for all the good people who make those blessings possible.

Resolution #2: Keep reading. Keep writing. This a personal resolution. I am a man of few hobbies. Being a husband, a father, and a principal fills up most of my time, though I will always be an English teacher at heart. Please feel free to recommend a good book, and I am resolved to keep these perspectives coming as long as there are people to read them!

Resolution #1: Stop procrastinating! Okay, it is now 1:30 in the am. The kids (and the dogs) will be up soon. I could blame the late hour on the power failures, but my laptop runs on batteries, and besides, our Power Plant has taken too good care of me to blame my procrastination on the weather. So I hereby resolve that beginning in the year 2007, I will be not put time sensitive tasks off to the last second. I resolve to be more organized, on time, proactive, and…

Hey, wait a second. I just realized that the very first thing I did in 2007 was to procrastinate! This very act, writing my column at the last possible moment, pretty much ruins this resolution for this year.

Oh well. I can always put off “Stop procrastinating!” until next year.

May you have better luck with your resolutions, and may the New Year find you empowered, from the heat and the lights in your house to the heat and the lights in your heart.