Making Resolutions

From an editorial in this morning’s Greensboro paper, as recorded by Glen Campbell in 1972 …

“I will see this day but once.

If there’s any kindness I can show,

Let me show it now.

For I’ll never see this day again.”

As we make our usual personal resolutions on this day, this could resonate in our minds because it’s a thoughtful map for daily living. Not at all easy. In fact, it’s daunting, as the author of the editorial points out … think today about what it asks for in your life.

To me, it means looking for ways to reveal my soul to others, going beyond the everyday discussions we have, going to the core of what I bring to life and sharing that. If you are aware, there are so many ways to express a kindness … in traffic, at work, in communication of every kind, with a smile, a hug, a remembrance. We have the time, if only we have the thought, the knowledge of the impact we have in our words and in our deeds, in what we can do rather than what we will fail to do.

On a daily basis, this is hard work because it’s a gift that we can too easily take for granted. On too many days, life will get in the way and we will forget that we have the power to change lives in small ways every day. But making this a part of our New Year’s resolutions can remind us that we have a daily opportunity for a fresh start on the challenge of living well.

As the author (and the song) also says … “Tomorrow may be too late, my friend, to do all the good that you planned.” Why not do it now? Because we will never have this day again.