Two New Year’s resolutions worth making—and keeping

New Years resolutions for family history lovers

I have never been big on New Year’s resolutions.

For starters, I still regard September, not January, as signaling a “new year”; the turning leaves and crisp fall winds usher in thoughts of back-to-school shopping and beginning anew.

Beyond that, self-discipline is not among my most laudable traits.

Nonetheless, I am surrounded by friends and family resolving to eat better, run faster, work harder, love stronger…you get the idea. When is the last time your own resolution lasted long enough to become an ingrained habit?

I’m not suggesting that you ignore your instincts to better yourself through New Year’s resolutions—on the contrary, I wish you luck and stick-with-it-ness!

And, I put forth suggestions for two resolutions that will be EASY to keep, and bring you JOY. Let me know if you’re in!

resolution no. 1

Digitize 10 old photos.

Maybe it’ll become the start of a bigger project, maybe it won’t. But the undertaking

of choosing 10 photos from a larger stash,
of visiting with the memories they stir up,
and of being able to easily share those images with loved ones—whether on social media, via prints you frame for them, on a family history website, or during in-person conversations (see below)—

is enough to bring you joy (!!), and to make the tiniest dent in your family history preservation efforts.

resolution no. 2

Have meaningful conversations.

This one is important to me.

When is the last time you used your phone for something other than a quick text to communicate?

When is the last time you dropped by a friend’s house unannounced? (Did you cringe at the mere thought?!)

How about welcoming one of your parents over ungrudgingly—not to watch the kids or do your familial duty, but to visit without agenda or time limit? To chat over a cup of tea, to have extended conversation around the dinner table well into the evening, or to learn their recipes in person, in action?

I am the first to fall into the trap of “busy-ness.” I often regret not calling my family members more, or wish I had more time to meet up with friends, sans kids.

But, as Debbie Millman says, busy is a decision. “Simply put: You don’t find the time to do something; you make the time to do things.”

So let’s both resolve to make more time for real conversation, shall we? To share our thoughts and stories, and to listen, generously, to those of our friends and loved ones—maybe even to someone new you meet at the library.

Let’s connect!