Reporter not much on making New Year’s resolutions

By: By DONNA RYDER Messenger Associate Editor

I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions, though I’m sure many were made across this great nation Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
If I were to make a New Year’s resolution, it would have to be the old standby — the one most people make — to lose weight. I’m not going to make it, because I’m sure I’d break it anyway. In 2007, I weighed the most I’ve ever weighed in my whole life — not counting my pregnancy months when I looked like I was having twins (first pregnancy) or triplets (second pregnancy).
I felt my best at 110 pounds, though the last time I weighed that little was during my first year of marriage about 14 years ago. I’d been that weight since I was a freshman in high school. I started packing on the pounds when my new husband went to Chicago to work for six weeks. I was working long hours at the newspaper in Ashland City and on my way home stopped by Strattons — a little ’50s-themed restaurant — for a six pack of their small burgers, fries and their oh-so-good fried breaded mushrooms. My mouth is watering now.
I managed to pack on a whopping 10 pounds, which is where I stayed until after the second pregnancy. The first had gone by rather smoothly and I lost all baby-weight gain within a month after Jonathan was born. When Matthew was born — well, that was another story. Two children, a full-time job — fast food, here we come. And that seems to be where we’ve stayed.
Well, I’ll giving it my best try this year and here’s hoping I’ll be able to drop at least the 10 pounds I gained back in 1993.
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For those of you looking for a better 2008, a recent e-mail revealed these 10 simple ways.
1. Go for a walk! Nothing will make you feel and look better than a brisk walk outdoors.
2. Drink more water! Ditch the soda and coffee and switch to water. You will feel great and lose weight.
3. Pay down your credit cards and pay cash for new purchases! Paying high interest rates only makes the banker wealthy.
4. Do something nice for the planet! Recycle or buy products from Eco friendly companies. (The Obion County Recycling Center, located near the Obion County Law Enforcement Complex, takes both white paper and cardboard. So instead of pitching your junk mail in the trash, just to be sent to the landfill, get a separate trash container for your home and take the junk mail to the recycling center. All those boxes from your food pantry can be sent there as well.)
5. Promote yourself! Let the world know who you are and what makes you special.
6. Read a good book! Turn off that TV and take your mind on a real adventure. (Check out the Obion County Public Library. There are thousands of books, magazines and newspapers there to help you expand your mind. Don’t have time to stop by the library? Try the Tennessee Electronic Library available on the Obion County Public Library’s Web site, or join the library’s online book club. Every day, Monday through Friday, you’ll receive in your e-mail a five-minute selection from a chapter of a book. By the end of the week, you’ll have read two or three chapters. A new book will be started each Monday. Available choices include fiction, non-fiction, teen, business, romance, good news, science fiction, mystery, horror and pre-publication. The library’s Web site may be accessed at www.oclibrary.org.)
7. Give your car a makeover! Fixing up the old car can extend its life and save you thousands of dollars.
8. Seek new products and technology! Every day new things are being created and invented to improve the quality of life.
9. Paint your favorite room in the house! Most people spend the majority of their time in just a few rooms in the house. Pick up a paint brush and feel good in your own home.
10. Relax! You put in a full day’s work, hit the gym, run errands and pay the bills. Sit down and put your feet up; you deserve it.
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The ever-popular Upward Basketball program begins Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church in Union City. Love basketball and don’t have anything better to do? Go by the church’s gymnasium for a day filled with talented youth who are playing the game for the fun of it. Not only will you get to watch boys and girls who are learning to play the sport, the full day of ball is free to all viewers. Concessions will be made available throughout the day for a small fee.
Children have been practicing for about a month now and will continue playing on Saturdays throughout January and February. In addition to picking up basketball skills, participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the Bible during the devotional times at half-time and practices.
For more information about the program, contact David Hagan at the church at 885-2961.
Published in The Messenger 1.4.08

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