Makin’ 2-0-1-9 SHINE!
by Cate Murway
“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”
Stephen Grellet [1773-1855] French-born Quaker Minister
Whoa…. How did that happen?
2019 [MMXIX] is here! The 19th year of the 3rd millennium, the 19th year of the 21st century, the 10th/ last year of the 2010s decade, and the Jewish year 5779 has arrived.
Well, we did it! We survived the passage of time and made it to another year.
AND, for some 100 years ago interesting reflections of the past….
*In 1919, [Thomas] Woodrow Wilson [1856-1924] was the 28th President and his two-term Vice President was Thomas Riley Marshall [1854-1925]. An advocate for democracy and world peace, Nobel Peace Prize winner Woodrow Wilson is often ranked by historians as one of the nation’s greatest presidents. His 2nd wife, “Secret President” Edith Bolling Galt Wilson [1872-1961], is often considered to be the first unofficial female President. She functionally ran the Executive branch of the government for the rest of her husband’s term after he suffered a prolonged and disabling stroke in 1919.
*WWI was finally over and on June 28, 1919, Germany and the Allied Nations signed the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the war. But, French General, Marshal Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch declared “This is not peace, this is an armistice for 20 years”. WWII started 20 years and 64 days later.
*The population was 104,514,000 [current world population is 7.7 billion as of December 2018].
*Prohibition takes effect. Ratified on January 16, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the making, transporting, and selling of intoxicating alcoholic liquors for beverage purposes.
*Dial telephones were introduced by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and the first Bell System rotary dial telephone model 50AL was installed in Norfolk, VA. NYC began to get dial in 1922.
*Charles Perkins Strite [1878-1956] invented the pop-up toaster.
*Guglielmo Marconi introduced short wave transmissions but he was not the first one to invent radio. Nikola Tesla [1846-1943] who moved to the USA in 1884, launched radio's theoretical model prior to Marconi. Alternating current was also invented in 1882 by Tesla and then in 1919, Claude J. Holslag applied it to welding.
*The most popular baby names for boys were John, William, James, Robert and Charles and for girls, the names most chosen were Mary, Helen, Dorothy, Margaret, and Ruth.
Welcome 2019!
* Science lovers, it's your time to shine. Dmitri Mendeleev's world-changing system turns 150 in 2019 that is designated as International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements by the United Nations General Assembly. Knowledge is power!
*Color-lovers, take note: the Pantone 2019 Color of the Year is 16-1546 “Living Coral”, a vivid, warmly saturated shade somewhere between pink and orange; blush, rosé, millennial pink- whatever you want to call this ubiquitous shade.
* It looks like Social Security benefits will increase by about 2.8% in 2019; the largest cost-of-living increase since 2012.
* Printing giant Xerox is getting into the 3D printing game and has plans to develop an at-home 3D printer this year.
Some are basking in the fleeting enthusiasm that comes with new resolutions and fresh planners and a slate wiped [kind of] clean of all of 2018's garbage. BUT….did you know 22% of resolutions fail after about a week; 40% of resolutions fail after a month… 50% after 3 months… And 60% after 6 months…
So unless you’re an extremely dedicated person, the odds don’t appear to be in your favor.
Be smart. Hit the ground running.
The New Year is a NEW chapter in your life…. so write in bold and let no one else hold your pen!
Goal actualization just may be the biggest creator of manmade frustration in our modern era.
So write them down. Affirm them. Secure the correct mindset [attitude, resilience], skill-set [invest in skill development and learning] and tool set [right technology, capital or training to master your craft].
2019 lies ahead like a pathless field of snow. Careful how you tread on it… for every mark will show.
What you get by achieving your goals is not quite as important as what you BECOME when you achieve them! Life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated.
Is civility in America really dead? Not fully convinced of that. Indeed, rhetoric may have become more polarizing but willingness to disagree without being disagreeable has certainly dissipated.
The highest form of wisdom is kindness. ~the Talmud
“My hope is that 2019 brings a sincere effort to bring our country back to civility so that we will once again be one nation under God, one people who can celebrate our diversity, and lawmakers who work together to preserve our freedom.”
Liz Fisher, freelance writer, Bristol, PA
It is both impossible and implausible to expect the country to somehow be better than the actions of its citizens.
“We are all going through something hard something unbelievable and larger than we ever imagined... we all just need to be kinder to one another in 2019 and encourage and empower one another for a more peaceful planet in which we reside. Prayers.” Denise Barbieri, Account Coordinator, Croydon, PA
…Teach them well and let them lead the way…..and be willing to be the change you wish to see.
“For 2019 (and beyond), I wish for the world’s youth to lead us to solve our challenges together.”
Michael H. Drobac, Yardley, PA
“Living in Bristol IS symbolic of hope for the future! September, 2018 I lost my dearest friend from "growing up Bristol", Francis J. “Fran" Delia. Fran is in Heaven now enjoying the reward he laid up for himself with a kind, caring and giving lifestyle. We met face to face on opening day of school at Bristol Jr-Sr. Hi in 1951. The entire living experience, as we matured, engendered hope for our future. That same spirit of watchfulness over the young people and one's neighbors is still there in Bristol. There is always something to anticipate in daily life. Enjoy what you have and look for opportunities to contribute your share of blessing to others.” Pastor Ed Jones, BHS '57, Wilmington, DE
*Replace a desire for perfection with an excitement for progress.
Once you get momentum, victory will be sweet.
“I hope that as we move into 2019 and make our resolutions to be good to ourselves that we can also remember to be good and do good for each other. Happy New Year.”
Nick Zlupko, Pennsbury High School – Science teacher, Southampton, PA
“Appreciate the people around you and your support system. Everyone needs support at some time and your friends and family are there to help. Life is a lot better to handle when you have a team behind you.”
Ryan C. Strack, Kean U. Theatre grad, Burlington, NJ
“For 2019 i wish for everyone to have a healthy, anxiety free, happy and peaceful new year!!”
Donna Love, Asset Protection Cleaview Federal Credit Union, Harmony, PA
*It's a new year and it's time to make a difference!
“No matter what has happened in the past, celebrate even the tiniest progress and laugh and move forward with gratitude in your heart.” Cynthia Adams, co-proprietor of Trainpops Attic, LLC, Bristol, PA
“My sincere wish for 2019 is that even small acts of kindness can change the world, so let’s try kindness! This is taken from the Jacqueline Woodson award-winning book “Each Kindness”.
Mary Gesualdi, Title 1 federal program coordinator, Historic Bristol Borough, PA
P.S. *A goal without a plan is just a wish.
You can’t delight everybody all the time but you CAN do something extraordinary for someone each day.
The recipient of kindness isn’t the only person who benefits.
Imagine the ripple effects from an added dose of small acts of kindness!
It’s 2-0-1-9. Let’s make it SHINE!
Recommend a “Spotlight”. E-mail vjmrun@yahoo.com
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additional response:
"Wishing a wonderful year ahead filled with happiness, good health, prosperity, love and new adventures.
May we always remember to count our blessings." Jennifer Parodi, Newtown, PA
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