A New Year's resolution and paying kindness forward
“A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.”
– Anonymous
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Well, once again, I have made a few resolutions, most of which are for self-betterment and to better serve those less fortunate.
Sure, like the next guy, I’ve got flaws, lots of them, and that’s where I started.
Making resolutions are easy; keeping them is the difficult part.
It seems the easiest ones to keep are the ones that really don’t involve personal improvement. For example, giving more to charity is the easy part. It only involves check-writing. The difficult resolutions are those that make us better persons.
However, I’ve found the best way to stay on a resolution is to not make keeping it so difficult. Make it achievable.
So, here’s my list of resolutions:
• Work out twice a week. That’s it. Not on certain days, just get on the elliptical that until recently was gathering dust in my “Man Cave.” This workout involves a series of weight-training tasks: bench presses, arm curls and front and reverse leg curls.
The best way to achieve this is while listening to one of the 24-hour news channels, and it’s easily timed, as they recycle through about every 20 minutes.
• Cut back on bread and pasta intake. For me, a bachelor, sandwiches are easy and so is pasta. I can make a boatload of pasta and store it in the fridge or in the freezer. In the end, however, these are high carbs, and they tend to hang around too long.
• Better meals: It seems I’m always on the go, and fast food is just so readily available and convenient. So, in 2013, I’m going to limit myself to just two trips through the drive-thru a week. (This isn’t confession, so I won’t reveal how many times I currently hit McDonald’s or Burger Express. Let’s just say the window people know me by name.)
Certainly, this one will be difficult as it means preparing food ahead of time (not pasta and sandwiches) and taking them to the office. Of all the resolutions, this one may be the most difficult to keep.
• Give more to church and charities: Certainly, we all have our favorite charities. I will continue to give to my church, the Libby Food Pantry, Kootenai Pets for Life, the arts and other worthwhile charities.
Also, it seems I can never resist the little Girl Scouts who come to the office offering cookies, so that will be one with which I have to deal. Perhaps, I can still buy them and leave them here at the office.
• Take a vacation: Last year, the summer months just flew past, and all of a sudden it was October, and I had not taken a holiday. So, this year, I resolve to get away for a vacation. Go somewhere. Anywhere. Perhaps to the tropics, which sounds like a pretty good idea on Jan. 3.
All in all, I think these resolutions are doable — achievable because they are for self-improvement while some will benefit others.
After all, one day we will all be judged on the kind of people we are and whether we helped our fellow man.
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It seems the kindness of holiday gift-giving was quite apparent Wednesday at Copper Mountain Coffee, the neat little drive-thru coffee spot.
According to owner Jacque Norman, about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, a customer drove through and, as she was having such a great day because someone showed her kindness, she offered to buy a coffee for the next person who came through.
Well, and this is the amazing thing, the next person accepted the coffee and still paid for their java, forwarding it to the next car.
Well, folks, this went on for about three hours about 25 customers.
According to Norman, her employee, Ashley, was so taken by these continuing acts of kindness that she had to call Norman, who owns five Copper Mountain Coffees in all, the one in Libby and four more in Kalispell.
“She called me and said she just had to tell me what was going on. No one was just taking the coffee and moving on,” said Norman, who also is the lead singer for the Copper Mountain Band.
“These coffees run from about $5 to $7 and people just kept paying it forward. It was absolutely incredible,” said Norman, who goes by Jacque Jolene while performing.
“People here are just so amazing,” she said.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Jacque. These good-hearted folks have resolved to pay the kindness forward, and that is small-town Americana at its finest!
(Alan Lewis Gerstenecker is editor of The Western News. His column appears weekly.)