Sunday, January 02, 2011

Old Timer Tips for the New Year

The Old Timer asked for a little more space this week, the first days of the New Year. He is not much for New Year’s resolutions, but does has some suggestions for the coming year.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS:

Take time to watch a sunset.

Read some poetry. Start with, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, published in 1923. Here is the last verse:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Travel away from the city on a cold, clear night, to a place where there is little light pollution, and look up. When was the last time you saw so many stars?

Hike into a woods on a below-zero morning and listen to the silence.

Vow once a week to set aside a few minutes to do nothing, to think about nothing, to worry about nothing.

Don’t take for granted those who love you.

Page through the seed catalogs that come this time of year. You don’t have to garden to enjoy them.

Write some stories about when you were a kid; your kids will appreciate it.

Call an old friend; somebody you knew when you were in high school.

It’s a New Year! Put a smile on your face, a spring in your step and forget last year’s mistakes.

CHECK THIS OUT: My newest book, available February 1, is about 25 years of canoeing in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota. Steve’s photos are throughout. Go to: www.fulcrum-books.com for more information. The title: Campfires and Loon calls.

UPCOMING EVENTS
January 6, 2011, 5:30 p.m. Lacrosse Library Friends dinner meeting.

1 comment:

Jeanne Engle said...

About 15 years ago, instead of resolutions for the new year, I made predictions. Amazing how many of them came true!