Dear Readers,

The New Year is underway. Out of the resolutions I wrote down, some I’ve already broken, a few I haven’t yet started, and the ones in place probably were in place before I memorialized them with a pen. The bigger idea is principles to live by. I try to:

1. Do something good for someone else, every day if possible—something that makes me go out of my way to do it. It’s worth taking a little trouble for another person’s well-being.
2. Think legacy when living my life. I want to do things that will make people remember me in a good way when I’m gone.
3. Make peace. I want to air out differences I may have with someone. Life is too short to anguish over a disputed relationship.
4. Own my actions. When I make a mistake, I try to walk it back with an apology or an amend. If I do something positive that receives praise, I’d like to stay humble and acknowledge the many role models that taught me how to live my life.
5. Live by the Cowboy Code. I’m a fan of westerns, so it speaks to me. Number 4 is my favorite (“gentle with children, the elderly, and animals”) but they all are good. Link: https://www.geneautry.com/geneautry/ geneautry_cowboycode-code.html (I recognize the linked article states these principles from a man’s point of view, so I ask that where needed you modify the language to reflect a woman’s point of view.)
6. Live by an even older code: The Golden Rule. I want to treat others as I would like them to treat me.

Have a magical and prosperous 2019!

Patrick J. Wood

Publisher