Hey there, 2015. How ya doin’?
If I’m honest, I’m a little sad to see your buddy 2014 go.
You see, 14, as I call him ’cause we’re that close, was a great year for me. Exciting times at work, including a new, expanded website we are launching this month (check it out mid-January). I bought a new house that is just a 10-minute drive to work (three cheers for a short commute). My parents came up for a lovely visit in the summer. It was the first time they’d both visited in four years, and boy were they impressed with all that’s happening in Detroit. Overall, it was a hectic year, but good hectic.
Until the last couple of weeks …
First, I got a call that my dad had a heart attack. Then my cat became critically ill with kidney disease and a possible stroke. Both were hospitalized. Both were released. But both have an uphill battle to recovery. And so, 2015, I fear that you will be THAT year, the one plagued with sadness and worry.
I’m fighting this fear – because it really is beyond my control. Instead, I’m going to focus on what I can do to increase the odds of 2015 being positive.
Part of that is having deliberate goals. I don’t like to call them resolutions, but I have found that my years are always better when I have some defined objective, even if it’s small. This year, I want to cook more. I have a bigger kitchen that’s begging to be used, after all. And chilly January is the perfect month to heat up the stove and whip up some rib-sticking food, like the soup recipes we offer in this issue. Who doesn’t love soup? Young and old, it’s mmm-mmm good, as the old ads used to tout. But homemade is so much better, and it’s a great thing to cook with the kids – another goal that’s worth considering this year.
But maybe more importantly, I hope that you resolve to make time for yourselves and your significant others (I’m talking to you, Jacquie Goetz Bluethmann!). I know it’s hard, but there are resources and ways to make it possible – and it really is for your own sanity and the health of your relationship. In our article on date nights, we offer some suggestions on how to finally make it happen.
Whatever your goals for 2015, I hope that it’s a banner year for you and your family. No sick family (or pets) and lots of love and peace and good times.
