Do we have to live life in a hazy blur?

The year 2014 is history. What an eventful one it was! It seems to have rushed past, leaving us with the feeling one gets when looking out the window of a fast-moving vehicle. The trees and fence posts pass in a blur and our eyes have no time to linger on any one image. All we can do is entrust our lives to the care of the driver and hope we will have a safe journey.

The last two weeks of the year have been a roller-coaster ride. There have been the down cycles, ranging from the aggravation of a flat tire on perhaps my busiest day to the real hazards of being bit by a dog. Fortunately both my sisters were available on the day of the dog bite to help patch up my leg. A visit to the doc the next day for a tetanus shot and a strong antibiotic started me on the road to recovery and the wound is healing nicely.

Then there have been the up times. We all love good food and good fellowship and we find both in abundance this time of year. We enjoyed a delicious meal at the senior center one day. The next day I drove to Siloam for another bountiful meal with my newspaper colleagues. That evening I dined with library commission members and library staff members in Gentry. On Saturday, the 20th, I joined family members for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

And gifts of good food are always welcome. It seems December's been the month for candy making. Our former editor showed up with some of his peanut brittle. A coworker in Siloam made chocolate nut clusters and a fellow library commission member shared some of his delicious toffee. A friend east of town brought a plate of fudge, both chocolate and peanut butter varieties, so we've had the feeling of being the proverbial "kid in a candy store." We've certainly had lots of ways to satisfy the old sweet tooth.

We've had a pretty mild fall, so mild that we've seen forsythia blooming as if it were spring. The first week of winter hasn't been bad either. There have been a few cold nights, with ice on the birdbath the next morning. Then there was a thin film of ice on the windshield after our midweek meeting, but that's to be expected as December slips away. I'm all set, though, if the weather turns nasty. Sister Nancy brought me a nice pair of boots, complete with warm fur lining, a week or so ago.

John J. Rowlands, in his "Cache Lake Country," commented that starting a new year is like heading into strange country with no map to show you what's round the next turn in the trail or what lies behind the hills. "You never know when a storm may break, never can be sure you won't hit white water round a bend in the river, and the big lakes you thought would be rough and dangerous as often as not turn out to be easy traveling." Rowlands recommends that a man not try to look too far along the trail. A good Indian packer, he says, keeps his eyes on the trail at his feet, looking for the roots and the rocks that might trip him. Generally he gets where he's going without falling.

Another of my favorite authors, Gladys Taber, says that instead of dreading the dark winter days, we ought to savor them for what they can give. She believes it's a good thing to curl up with a book before bedtime. The dark winter days give us time to reread old books or dip into new ones, maybe even read a little poetry.

Reading has always been my favorite pastime so I was delighted when I came home from the fire chief's retirement party last Tuesday night and discovered we'd had a delivery from Barnes and Noble. It was a copy of "Watch Me," a memoir by Anjelica Huston. I've always loved biographies and autobiographies so I look forward to finding time to read it.

Gladys Taber also believes that beginning the new year is a good time to renew one's faith, to resolve again to live just a little larger life. Some think resolutions are only a big joke. After all, why make new ones when last year's were never kept?

If we do believe there's value in new resolutions, we might want to repeat this verse from Lawrence Hawthorne's "A New "Year Meditation": "Help me to live in a noble way and earn the comradeship of loyal friends. Let me know laughter and wholesome play... The joys on which all happiness depends. Give me the courage and faith to see That God will bless each day for me."

Susan Holland is longtime resident of Benton County and a staff member of the Westside Eagle Observer. She may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 12/31/2014