New Year ’ s Resolution
By : Kaleb “ Birdie ” Stigler
S omething we are all guilty
of : starting those New
Year ’ s resolutions only to not complete them . I myself have fallen into the category of failure of completion . One year I actually made a resolution to start saving money , and I believe that was the year that I spent the most . So , I have found myself just trying to find a goal that is more realistic . ( Let ’ s face it , women love to shop and pamper themselves , so saving money was not doable at 19 .) This year , I am going to focus on being a more positive influence on the people around me . I asked my Facebook friends and family on some examples of their resolutions , and in response I received some very unique , funny , and even some classic responses . I wanted to share with readers some that were shared with me . Let ’ s start with the classic responses , shall we ? Of course we have weight losers , men or women that are just dying to get back into the body they had when they were 28 years old and in their prime ! Could you blame them ? Gravity is not forgiving after 45 unless you have good genetics , right ? Then we have the person that wants to be more organized and more aware of his / her spending . Onto our smokers that want to quit smoking ; I hear this one at LEAST six times a year . I am not sure I have actually seen it happen , however . Oh so classic and all possible . Now for our unique resolution ideas : spend more time at home . Family is important and that isn ’ t one that is recognized in the necessity of a resolution . Resolution coming from the heart , I think would be more likely to be done . To talk less ,( because sometimes people just need you to listen ). Another resolution that I received was to work in Antarctica under extreme weather conditions , almost seems like a bucket list option but it was definitely original . Last but not least are my sarcastic and funny responses that were given to me . I believe my favorite , actually , was a family friend stating that he wants to start fixing things the
As I ’ ve watched more and more years pass since I was brought into this world , I have found myself reflecting more and more on the simple things . Family , brotherhood , and friendship tend to be the foremost in these little meditations ... and you know what ? I think these things have been twisted to the point that we ’ ve almost lost their true meaning . Today , many take family as an obligation , friendship as a convenience , and brotherhood as a cliché . I don ’ t believe they could be any more wrong . This past year , just before the waters rose , I was faced with being the friend of someone who faced a struggle bigger than most are really prepared for . I had been friends with this person for well over two decades , and in that time , she had become family to me and mine … which is not something I take lightly . I knew when I first found out that it would be easier to just walk away and wash my hands of the whole first or second time his wife asks him to . Followed by her response to get him to do things the first time she asks . My cousin even responded with “ to wear adult onesies everywhere I go ”. Boy that would be a sight to see this large and bearded man walking around in public wearing a unicorn onesie . Oh , I almost forgot , a coworker of mine says that she doesn ’ t want to eat her weight in cheese ! Now , that is an accomplishment ; and I don ’ t mean to not eat her weight in cheese , but to actually eat > 100 pounds in cheese just sounds PAINFUL . I am sure there are plenty more to be discussed but I will let you find them yourself . Make this year ’ s resolutions be something to accomplish ; whether they be original , classic , or just funny . These promises that we make to ourselves , don ’ t break them . Your word is who you are and who are you to yourself , if you can ’ t keep promises that you make for your own opinion of you . Happy New Year to all of you and lets bring in 2017 with a BANG !
A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIEND
mess , but I just couldn ’ t do it . I realized that all the good times we had over the years amounted to nothing if I couldn ’ t weather the bad . So , I dug in for the long haul . It was and continues to be one of the hardest things I ’ ve ever had to do . It is privilege that I wouldn ’ t ever trade . This is what being family , a brother , or a friend is . This is what we do . Some of you can relate to this and others maybe not so much . It doesn ’ t matter though because the message rings the same . We need to all stick together whirling around the sun on this little , blue rock . Family , brotherhood , and friendship is a choice , a responsibility , and an honor in good times and in bad … not a convenience nor a burden . We shouldn ’ t ever have to worry about those closest to us standing up and walking out . After all , we can all get by with a little help from our friends . -Nate T .
14 January 2017 THUNDER ROADS MAGAZINE LOUISIANA WWW . THUNDERROADSLOUISIANA . ORG