HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As 2010 fizzled out and 2011 landed with a resounding THUD!, I was reminded of one very important life lesson: When you allow someone else to be responsible for your good time, you can't complain when you don't have one. Jack Daniels, an old favorite, saved my midnight hour this year. I'm sure I won't like him half as much in the morning.

Sitting in reflection, I had to take a quick moment and check myself. A life lesson I've most recently learned: You get back what you invest. And that applies to a shitty attitude, so I worked ten-fold to improve my own. Then I revisted my favorite tidbits of advice and felt they were well worth repeating for the New Year.

So, as you rid yourself of last year's haunts and pour over your New Year's resolutions, remember that each new day is an opportunity for a new beginning. If you didn't get it right the first time, then do better the second, and if necessary, the third time.

May the New Year fulfill all of our dreams and wishes and may each of our blessings be abundant and joyous. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

WISDOM FOR 2011


1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others, Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and look back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

20. Remember to give thanks.