Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?

Did you break any New Year’s resolutions?

We hear a lot about them early in the year and though I still maintain a vague idea of what some good resolutions would be for me, I also am realistic enough with myself to know that setting specific ‘resolutions’ isn’t going to work. Instead, it’s better if I think of them as goals or suggestions – but keeping in mind that they (for me, at least) need some flexibility built in.

Of course, it would be wonderful to hold myself to the goal of seven hours of sleep per night but I couldn’t even tell you when the last time that happened was. Unfortunately, I have always been quite a night owl and even if I am ‘done’ for the day with work and family, that just means you’ll likely find me reading a book or, occasionally, scrolling through my phone.

Many days the alarm also goes off pretty early so seven hours of sleep, yeah, not so much.

There are also little things I like to focus on to start a new year and some of them are easier to follow than others; it’s just about getting into a routine. I have found that, at least for me, once a good routine has been established, sticking to it is much easier than stopping it and then trying to start it up again.

The other day in the office, my co-worker Melody lamented that we were already in February; again, the older you get, the faster the time goes. That definitely seems to be true, since I have no idea where January went.

I did have the opportunity on January 28 to attend the Mayor’s State of the City address for Oakdale and was able to touch base with a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a while. It was nice to catch up with them – sharing photos of my granddaughter with some – and it was also enjoyable to listen to the remarks offered by Mayor Cher Bairos about what had been accomplished in the city during 2025 and what’s ahead for the Cowboy Capital. There are plenty of projects in process, with an eye toward expanding retail opportunities and housing options, among others.

That made me think back to when I moved here to California, my first apartment was on North Crane Road. It was one unit of a four-plex that was surrounded mostly by fields. Now, there’s the Oakdale School Farm across the road, a brand-new housing development going in … it certainly does not look the same. Of course, that was a long time ago when I first got here, but it’s still interesting to look at how things have changed.

And speaking of changes, my granddaughter also recently came home from preschool with a report card that declared her ready for TK, Transitional Kindergarten. She got mostly A’s – especially in terms of her language development – but could use a little work on her sharing skills, which seems pretty appropriate for the majority of four-year-olds. The fact that she’s going to be in TK this year, though, is just another testament to how fast the years go.

My daughter also has a birthday coming up this month and we are planning what has become our annual trip, attending a San Jose Sharks game and then spending the night in San Jose so she (and I) can enjoy a little rest and relaxation after the excitement of the game.

Hmmm, maybe I’ll get seven hours of sleep that night …

Marg Jackson is editor of The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News. She may be reached at mjackson@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.