It is human nature to wonder what kind of changes and challenges a new year will bring—including the changes that we undertake for ourselves.
Should we lose 10 pounds… or maybe 20? Start flossing? Walk the dog more often? Make more family memories? Hope to see an economic turnaround?
The above resolutions are courtesy of my interaction with this week’s “Person on the Street” responders (see below). Some ideas make so much sense, I hope to try them myself.
Inevitably, the new year will bring change. If there is anything to infer from 2011—and I certainly had the opportunity to infer, going over a year’s worth of coverage for last week’s Year in Review (recap at valleyrecord.com), it’s that change is a given, in good times and bad.
What’s ahead? Plenty, starting with the dedication and grand opening of the new Snoqualmie Community Center and YMCA on January 21. Many folks in Snoqualmie have been waiting for this moment for years, enduring two narrow ballot failures over the last six years to reach this moment. The facility is modest but modular, a hub for wider Y activities in the Valley, and will offer something for all ages; its family focus should boost, not compete, with fitness and youth businesses on the Ridge.
Beyond that, I see other new beginnings in the Valley. Carnation’s changes in 2012 include not only its newly activated traffic light—the city’s first—but also construction of a new public shelter and kiosk downtown, expected to boost its summer Farmer’s Market.
In the Upper Valley, the Youth Activity Center is poised to bring a new meeting place for local Boy and Girl Scouts into being on North Bend’s Boalch Avenue.
The city of North Bend also has a big, vocal group of citizens avidly minding its new transportation plan. Perhaps in 2012, city and neighbors can work together to forge a strong, big-picture vision of how that city can grow to accommodate travelers, truckers and businesses to the benefit of all.
What about a hotel? North Bend is closer than it’s ever been to construction of a modern hotel, not far from the Mountain Valley Center and Safeway. We could see permit action on that very soon.
Then, there are all the little beginnings—the connections and appointments made, volunteer projects begun, ideas floated, that happen all the time in our Valley. These affect many, but don’t require a big budget or grand directive—just one person, maybe you.
This year, I encourage you to not only resolve to change your own life, if so inclined, but also to change those around you. At the Record, it is our duty to connect you with people around you who are making a difference. For example, this week, you can discover how to link with locals who are making life better for the homeless. See this week’s story, then make a start, and a happier new year.
