It’s another brand, spanking new year. It’s a blank slate, a whole new ballgame, a time to turn the page.
Pick your cliché.
In reality, what a new calendar offers is limitless. Individually, everyone can do anything he, or she, wants.
Together, the possibilities are even more enticing. It’s up to each of us to decide what to do with the 12 months that lie ahead.
I know altruism is the first thing that comes to mind. Save the planet. Make the world a better place. Try an extra dose of kindness. Buy the world a Coke.
Who could argue with that? I doubt anyone can resist the idea of doing some good in the year 2026.
But then there’s reality. Sometimes the world doesn’t want to be made better. Try as we might, it just isn’t doable.
So here’s my suggestion. Instead of worrying about changing the world, why not change ourselves?
Take me as an example. I have lots of flaws that I would do well to address. I’d list all of them, but there isn’t enough room on this page.
Here are a few: I’m out of shape. I’m lazy. I tend to be hard-headed. When I’m not being hard-headed or lazy, I’m wishy-washy. I’m apathetic about politics.
The list goes on.
In short, I could do better. If I focused on one or two or three of my flaws, I would come out ahead.
One thing I started last year was work on getting into shape. I’ve never been much of an athlete. Lately, however, things had gotten out of hand.
So I signed up at the gym. My wife started it. She signed up first and reported to me what she thought. She gave it a thumbs-up, so I joined in.
I’m not a sports guy. My sport of choice is bowling. I figure anything I can play while drinking a beer is just my speed. I also jogged for years. I was one of those guys they timed with a calendar. I’m also uncoordinated. I can’t even walk straight. I’d probably flunk a field sobriety test even if I was drinking soda pop.
Combined with quadruple bypass surgery a couple of years ago, all of this was working against me.
By going to the gym I could gauge how far downhill I’d gone. Let me put it this way. I could walk, but that was about it.
The first day at the gym, the boss tested my balance and asked a lot of questions. After that, he and the other trainers put together a game plan. The idea was to gain flexibility on the way to building strength and endurance.
That was easier said than done. They had me doing all sorts of exercises. Many involved rolling around on the floor. I’d tell you their names but I don’t know them.
I’ll never be another Arnold Schwarzenegger – that’s a given – but by spending some time at the gym I’m feeling a lot better.
Now, if I could just do something about being so darn hard-headed.
Carl Sampson is a freelance editor and writer. He lives in Stayton.
