Going a different way

Well, the big ’17 is here. Try as I might to stay up and watch the ball drop, I only made it to 11:15 p.m. this year. I guess that’s still more than an hour beyond the official drop in New York.

I’m not much for resolutions, as I either set unrealistic goals or, when it’s something a bit more grounded, I either give up too easily on it or forget about it entirely by March. But, since statistics show that less than 10 percent of people make or stick to their resolutions, I’m content knowing I’m at least in the majority.

So rather than make a long list of things that I may — or more likely may not — do over the next 12 months, I’m taking a different route with “the jar.” If you’re on any kind of social media or video site, you probably already know what I’m talking about. Start with a simple mason jar and every time there’s something you want to remember, write it down on a piece of paper, date it and drop it in the jar. When the holidays roll around for 2017, take out and read the slips of paper to relive those experiences.

The videos I’ve seen focus on writing down the positive experiences, but I plan to write down the negative ones as well, in the hope that reading them will help recall times when I overcame a struggle.

Though the jar will be dumped out at the end of the year, I think I’ll keep the positive slips as something I can enjoy year-round whenever I need a quick pick-me-up.

I look forward to adding to that pile.