NEW YEAR. NEW OUTLOOK.
During a light-hearted conversation this week, a friend told me that their first 2017 resolution was to complete all of their unmet 2016 resolutions. On some level, that is how we may all feel about making these kinds of commitments to ourselves.
I decided to take a different course in 2017 and it doesn’t involve reexamining whatever I didn’t get done last year. I’m scraping the “New Year’s Resolution” timetable in favor of a new improved path. In truth, I have been following something like this for several years, but as these few weeks are a time for reflection, I realized that I was being hard on myself and ultimately on others around me.
Over the years of trying to achieve my resolutions, if I was confused or sad, I would eat, so the diet resolution was compromised. Although I walk daily, the fact is that I may never again exercise as much as I should. So then the guilt starts to seep in. And then there’s the addiction to sugar, something my late friend John Callaway told me about several years ago. I dismissed it at the time, but it is very real.
Particularly to people of a certain age ... of which I am, as it turns out, one.
I never thought that I would become a person of a certain age, but now that I am one, I’m quite happy about it. I wish that I could do all the things to excess that I used to do, but I can’t. My system won’t allow it and, frankly, all of those excesses were, well, excessive.
So, the conversation continues. Over the past year, we have explored life through the eyes of actors, artists and entrepreneurs. We heard how art, music, dance and theatre is created … what the important steps are in developing new work … learned about musical comedy, character development, long-running success and explored all the various forms of social media that allow us to communicate with each other, even if we don’t want to communicate with each other.
While the old notion to move the ball down the field is still present, I am eager to get others on the team to help improve the game. In this new year, I have a new outlook -- more positive, assertive, with sights fixed on building a bigger base and having more fun, all the time.
That’s what I want to talk about this year and I hope we can have many more conversations along the way.
DE USURIS
MR & MRS PENNYWORTH now playing at Lookingglass Theatre through February 19th WEBSITE TICKETS
BEN HOLLIS
Building Chicago by John Zukowsky should be in everyone's collection. Listen to our live program from the Chicago History Museum HERE
