Clyde River

Many folks start each new year with resolutions, and after a month or so of the cold temperatures and high winds that January can bring, they find themselves back into the same, comfortable habits. Maybe it’s the turkey or sugar treats that gives us the high where we think that all things are possible all at once. Well, there might just be a solution to individual resolutions gone awry.

Maybe as a community we could work on resolutions together, or even better, we could have community resolutions that build our community spirit, so by helping others, we are helping ourselves as well. Kerrilee York recently found a list of actions for community building. Clyde River already has a great community spirit, so we know that this challenge will be interesting to many, but even better, it will be a way to engage more people who live in and are connected to Clyde River.

We will not give you the exhaustive list all at once. We will publish one each week or so as a challenge, and we want to hear from those who took action on it. Don’t be shy. If you let us know what you did, it will motivate another person and so on, and maybe this is the secret to success in fulfilling resolutions..making small steps with the help of friends.

Are you ready? Here goes. The first resolution…

Turn off the TV

Ooh, that hurt, considering many of our favourite shows are back on the air and there is nothing quite as cosy as curling up under a blanket to watch a few hours of drama or comedy programming. But we are talking about community building, so how can we make the resolution work in light of this challenge? Here are a few suggestions and I am sure you have other great ones.

Instead of watching TV for at least two hours over the next week or so, you could…

• Call a neighbour and invite them over for coffee or tea
• Invite a few people over to do a hobby you all enjoy
• Have a potluck dinner where you offer up your home but each one takes along something easy to prepare, none of that fancy Christmas cooking
• Visit someone who you know would appreciate a visit and wants to hear the news of the community. Maybe they don’t have access to the internet and would love to hear about the recent stories that have been published
• Gather up a few neighbours to take a walk in the snow on a sunny day and have a little hot chocolate ready for them at the end
• Offer to babysit a neighbour’s children, so they can enjoy an evening out
• Call up a neighbour who also has a dog and suggest walking your dogs together
• While the snow is here, gather up some kids and build a snowman at Murchison Place Park

These are just a few of the many ideas of things to do. So are you in?

Success creates more success, so let us know how you are taking up this challenge and feel free to add a comment below to ask who else may be interested in sharing in a creative or recreational activity. There are likely many who are just waiting to be asked to participate and are looking for someone to take the lead.

Happy 2013! Let’s make this the year that we build even more community spirit in Clyde River! Stay tuned for New Year’s resolution #2.

Use the comments section below to let us know what you did and we also like photos. Send photos to vivian@eastlink.ca.