When I reflect on the year past, it is easy to become anxious about the future.  2017  wasn’t  easy.   Disasters  hit  in rapid succession, their combined effect making each more daunting than the one before.  Floods, fires, 
earthquakes. Â Simmering racial tensions heated and boiled over into the streets. Â We were shocked to learn that our country, even our families were sharply divided by 
our social and political beliefs.  Social media became a national forum for proclaiming unsubstantiated “facts” and venting unfiltered frustrations.   Scientists were discounted and their hard work dismissed by  government spokespersons on the basis of undocumented claims  based on 
personal belief as best, or worse, vested interests.  One after another trusted leader tumbled from power as as  entrenched patterns of sexual harassment in the workplace came to light.  All of this served up to us as “Breaking News”  24/7 in HD Surround Sound, by newscasters scrambling  frantically  for the latest sensational tidbit.
Sadly, rather than becoming unified  against our common problems,  for the most part, we seemed to have been pulled apart.  I am exhausted by all of it.
2017 was indeed a challenging year.  However, it was not the only challenging year we have faced as a nation.  We have weathered  far
greater  storms and we will come through this one. There has always been darkness.  Darkness in the world, darkness in me, in each one of us.  But there is also light. And to stay in that light and avoid slipping into disillusionment, I am going to need  spiritual nourishment,  Lots of it.
So here are some of my New Year’s resolutions to feed my spirit.
Spend  more time  with kids.
If we are watching, children will teach us how to enjoy the beauty of  ordinary 
things;  the intricate design of a daisy petal,  the magic of dew fall on  blue bonnets,  how to dream.
Dreaming comes naturally to children. Â They have no battle scars yet, anything is still possible. Inevitably, as the years go by, Â dreams are lost along the way. Â It is
easy to become cynical, to lose hope.  But without it  our spirits wither and die.  Dreams are  spiritual food.  They are the crucibles in  which  hope  is formed.  It is the dream that is important, not the outcome.  Children know that.
Make time for art. Â
We Americans tend to think of art as a luxury, an activity only to be indulged when there is surplus money and time. Â Art programs are the first to be cut from our educational and personal budgets. Â But we are deluding ourselves. Art has dramatic healing power.
A painting is more than  an image on a canvas.  It is an invitation to escape our world to another of our choosing, to be calmed, inspired, challenged;  to emerge recharged and refreshed.
Keep  friends close
I am blessed to have good friends. We are there for each other; for 
comfort, encouragement, support, or just a good laugh. Â We “get” each other. Â Each new conversation begins where the last one left off,
even after years have intervened.  And yet it’s so easy to postpone that call or visit “until I’m not so busy;”  to tell myself I’m keeping in touch on Facebook or by text.  But I know better.  I’m cheating myself.  My friends  are not mine forever.  They are on loan.  Each moment with one of them  is a gift to be treasured.
  Hang out with animals.  No explanation needed. Â
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 Most of my New Year’s Resolutions  over the years haven’t lasted past the last winter’s frost.  So last year I  finally decided to avoid the guilt and let myself off the hook (Post 1/1/15).
I’m done with New Year’s “Resolutions.”  I think the reason they seldom worked was because  they  targeted the wrong behavior.  For example, my resolution to “be on time”  never worked because the root cause is my stubborn obsession on the (any) task at hand and therefore no sense of time.  Is there a 12 step program for that?  Probably.  But I’m not resolving  to join it.