New Year Resolutions!

     In a few days the new year will begin!  The chance to wipe clean life's white-board and start over again.  The chance to reflect on what was...cherishing the good, and learning from the bad.  Speaking of the bad...no matter how troublesome or heartbreaking...it is in the darkest hour that our true selves are revealed.  Sounds very dramatic, but it is true.  I wish no ill will to anyone, let's get that straight before I continue.
     In the darkest hour, when our backs are against the wall...it isn't our abilities that save us.  It is the choices we make!  Conjugate the verb...to survive!  Fight or flight...give in or fight...sit still or move forward.  It is at these times that our true strength (More than just the physical) must be tapped into.  It is from these dark places that heroes are born...the ones who chose (Even against insurmountable odds) to fight or move forward when everyone around them, and everything within them said to do nothing.  These heroes moved through the fear, or the hurt to emerge the better for it.
     I guess I am on this blog today because I just watched a video that has recently gone viral.  the video was made by a young man named Ben who had a very serious heart condition.  Throughout his life he was always a breath away from death.  On three different occasions he DID die between the ages of 11 and 18, but was brought back.  Each experience left him changed.  He no longer feared what most of us fear (Our own mortality)...he lived life, and enjoyed every moment.  Ben cheated death on three different occasions, and made this video...a lasting legacy.  Last week...on Christmas Day...Ben died at the age of 18.
     I am humbled by this young man, and I am so grateful for what he left behind.  No matter how bad things are or how bad I THINK they are...I am a fighter!  I am a mover!  I may be up against the wall at times, but I will figure out a way to get off that wall.  Thank you Ben for reminding me that no matter how bad I think it is at times...get off my ass and fix it, and that so many others have REAL worries, problems, or concerns!
     I digress...sorry.  The title of this Blog entry is New Year Resolutions!  Though I am long winded what I wrote above has everything to do with me, the coming new year, and what I vow to do.  Many of you (The very few who actually read my ramblings) don't really know me.  What I will reveal to you is that my resolutions this year, are the same resolutions I have made every year (Most of them...some are new this year!).  Not every year of my life, but every year since my life had true meaning.  The following resolutions have been my credo since September 18, 1996.  Believe it or not...these changes, these vows to myself came all at once.  They all rushed in at exactly 4:27 pm.  I know this sounds odd, accept it or not...it is absolutely the truth.
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
1.  Never take yourself too seriously.
2.  Laugh at yourself.
3.  Lie only when you have thought it over...then think again!
4.  Love is too powerful a thing to be given freely, but when you do...go for the gold!
5.  Be honest in all things...no matter how hard it can be at times.
6.  Learn from your mistakes.
7.  Never make the same mistake twice!
8.  Do not rely on others to make you happy...you will always be disappointed.
9.  Expect from others what you put out!
10.  Never give a zero to a child...anything a child does is worth something.
11.  Failure is not an option in my classroom!
12.  My son comes first above all!
13.  Never be afraid to say...I am wrong. (You'd better prove it, though...Haha)
14.  Have fun, joke, laugh...with those who are in your life.
15.  Do not accept a liar, a fake, or a phony...just tolerate them if you must.
16.  Take nothing for granted.
17.  Give no credence to the Mayan calendar!
18.  Encourage, and enrich...never belittle a child.
19.  Respect your students...don't think they are less just because they are young.
20.  Show respect to all...even those who don't deserve it.
21.  Say I love you to everyone I love.
22.  Never reveal anything to anyone who doesn't have your trust.
23.  Never be a fake or a phony...be yourself!
24.  Remember the past, but never live in it.  I was already there!
25.  The love for your students must be unconditional...kids don't learn until they have made MANY mistakes!
26.  Let kids BE kids!
27.  Set rules, be consistent, bulid structure...glue it all together with respect.
28.  Never talk behind someone's back.
29.  Eat, live, be merry!
30.  When you see a child fall, help them up.  When they fall again, offer your hand.  When they fall yet again...encourage them to stand on their own.  If they fall again...Snarl, growl, and bellow then start the whole process over again!
31.  Never give up...never give in.  UNLESS...it is something without substance, or not worthy of your effort.

     Well...there ya go!  Happy New Year friends!  I have a strong feeling that this is going to be a stellar year!  I am always excited about what is around the next bend, or further down the road.  Hope you all are also!