By Kevin Williams
Well, here we are: 2016. Â Another year, another chance to wipe the slate clean and begin anew. Â This year I celebrate a quarter century of being editor/creator of The Amish Cook column, which continues to publish in newspapers across the nation (welcome to our newest, Monticello, Indiana!).
How long will I keep it going? I don't know. Time will tell. Â 25 years is a long time to do anything and nothing lasts forever. Â We'll see. Â But for the moment I focus on more pedestrian matters, like what my main resolutions are for the year. Â Some are too personal or just too boring (yea, I think that more than personal) to share. Â But here are some of my highlights and we'll revisit these a year from now and see if any came to fruition. Â Change is tough, and scary sometimes, but I do believe it is possible. The flicker of home that the candle of change emanates is what keeps me going, if it didn't exist, there'd be little point in striving to do one's best. Â The grass may always look greener elsewhere, but eventually we all get to a point in our lives when we just have to accept our own lawn and cultivate it the best we can and that's my mantra in 2016. Â So here are some of my shareable resolutions:
LOSE WEIGHT: Â For Pete's Sake, I don't need to lose THAT much. Â I wouldn't even qualify for the show "The Biggest Loser", they stipulate you must lose 100 pounds. If I lost 100 pounds I'd probably have to go the hospital. Â 30 - 40 pounds would be perfect. Â Tomorrow, I'll do a weigh in....
DENTAL WORK: Â Been vowing to go to the dentist to get some work done for years, I hope this is the year I get it done. Â I feel like curbing my Coke has helped my dental situation, I think all those years of guzzling fizzy, carbonated Coke did not help my teeth. Â So while I haven't sworn off my favorite beverage completely, I continue to hold it admirably at arm's length.
VISIT THREE NEWÂ (FOR ME)Â AMISH/PLAIN COMMUNITIES: Â This doesn't sound overly ambitious,but with a 2-year-old at home my days of constant traveling are done for awhile. Â Still, there are some that I'd love to visit. Â I have been to Geauga County, Ohio before but it was 25 years ago so if I make it there this year I'd county it as an "honorable mention." Â Other settlements I'd like to make it to this year include: Â Grabill, Indiana (yes,incredible, but I have never been to that community before) or Vanceburg, Kentucky (a newer Amish settlement in Mason County, KY).
BOOKS - Â I have some surprises here, but I'd like to see some new books coming out of my pipeline in 2016 and I'm fairly certain we will. Â So stay tuned!
RUNNING: Â This sort of ties into number one, but I've been handcuffed by knee issues the past year or so....I'd like to get those neutralized and hit the running trails again by the time the warmth of summer arrives.
Angie
Dear Kevin,
I wish you all the luck with you New Years resolutions. Mine are more mundane than yours. Get back to more family time, eat together at supper at a real table not the living room. I also have been putting off the dentist. I have to go to the dentist this year. Get my health under control (find out if I have arthritis and/or Fibromyailga). I hope it is not both but not sure.
I hope that you have a great new year I look forward to reading your emails.
Angie Boone
Kevin
Thanks for your post Angie.....we have a bad habit of eating in the living room also....that's something that I want to change at some point so that Aster gets the "family table" feel.....and I hope you and I both make it to the dentist this year!
Linda from KY
Those are all good goals! I hope that you're successful in all of them.
I keep wanting to visit the Amish community in Adams County, OH and now you mention one in Mason County, KY. They're about the same distance from me, but in different directions, about 50 miles or so. It would be nice to see one of those this summer. We'll see. 🙂
Kevin
I hope you get to make it there, Adams County is awesome, love it there!
Carolyn
Sounds like reasonable new years resolutions to me. My best to you. Also you get to enjoy another year Asters two year old antics. Enjoy every minute of it. Time goes so fast. Before you know it you will look back and say what happened to my little girl. She is so precious.
I have eleven grand children and seven great grand children. I look back and say to myself when did my children get that old. Some of them are grand parents now. ( I have six. ) Well best to you and Michelle through out 2017. ( I probably spelled her name wrong. )
Kevin
Hi, Carolyn - Thank you....gosh, I can't imagine Aster being a grandparent someday....I doubt I'll ever list to see that because I'm becoming a Dad so late in life....Always great to hear from you and I hope you have an awesome 2016!
Salli
I hope you do a great job in the coming new year. All you can do is try your best. We all have our goals in January, but yeah some of those goals never get met. Try try again as the saying goes. Haha!
Good Luck! : )
Kevin
Hi, Salli, thanks, been trying for 25 years, one of these days I'll get it right!
Kevin
Thanks, Salli, been trying for 25 years, maybe someday I'll get it right!
hmchelen
Hope you can keep doing Amish 365 for many more years. I do so enjoy it. I also like when you show pictures of Aster. She is so cute. Hope 2016 is a very good year for you and you succeed in what ever you do.
Kevin
Thank you, Helen, for all your help and support, it's humbling and I'm grateful
Kevin
Wow, Debbie, that is awesome and inspirational...Do you have one single piece of advice for how you lost so much?