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By Jennie Guido

Happy New Year! We get another fresh start. Let’s be honest, the remake of the roaring twenties has been less than what we expected. Sometimes you can’t do better than the original version. However, we can resolve to do better ourselves.

I’m sure everyone has thought long and hard about those resolutions for 2022. Some may have already broken their new year promise. That’s ok. You get another chance. I won’t tell anyone.

Resolutions always seem to be something you plan to give up or get rid of. I’ve heard it over and over and even participated in this version of yearly resolving myself. This year, I plan to give up carbs. This year, I plan to give up soda. This year, I plan to stop eating out and cooking more. This year, I plan to lose twenty pounds. This year, I plan to stop online shopping. (I’ve personally tried this one before. It works better as a Lenten promise. Trust me!) Yada. Yada. Yada.

What if we tried a different take on the old tried and true resolutions? What if we just said, “This year, I plan to do better?” That seems simple enough and you won’t necessarily break your process with one sip of a Coke on crushed ice from The Malt Shop or going through the drive through at County Pie for a cauliflower pizza (and chocolate chip cookie).

Try this on for size. Instead of saying this year, I’m dieting and giving up soda, let’s say I’m going to do better by drinking more water each day. That was easy. Instead of saying, I’m not going to shop online this year, try looking for something you have on auto delivery locally. You’d be surprised to find that toilet paper is still sold at Natchez Market.

But in general, let’s all try to do better. I know I could do better every day by being a little more patient. I could do better by cutting out that afternoon mini coke and having a cup of tea instead. I could do better by waking up fifteen minutes earlier so my day runs a little smoother. I could do better by taking the Beagles on a walk a couple of times a week so that they get a little fresh air.

Pick one area in your life that needs to be better. It could be smiling at your co-workers each morning. It could be starting to recycle each week instead of throwing everything in the garbage. It could be cleaning out your closets and cabinets slowly throughout the year so you can donate to one of our many charities in town.

How can you do better?