I used to feel differently about New Years, cynically assuming that life as I knew it would be unfazed by silly resolutions because whatever would be would be. I guess that line of thinking came from watching too many Doris Day movies. I believed the events of the new year would naturally unfold, whether I was prepared for them or not, so why bother with resolutions.

But the years have shaped me somewhat differently. I'm now more reflective – even pensive at times. I reflect on where I've been, the good times and bad, the mistakes I've made, and a long string of once new beginnings and try to fit them into the overall scheme. I recently reorganized my closet in much the same way, removing some outdated clothing, grouping the warm sweaters together, and not fretting too much over the favorite slacks that I seem to have outgrown.

My sense of family has taken on new meaning as I've watched my family circle shrink from a large clan to mostly memories and served as a sharp reminder again and again of my own mortality.

I've become an environmentalist. I believe that global warming is a very real threat and that every industry and each individual must do what we can to slow its progress .

I've become an advocate for preservation and conservation and am saddened each time I see another Tennessee hilltop flattened in the name of progress and a sprawling concrete parking lot cover a once wooded hillside.

I've collected a list of my favorite quotes and sayings and, from time to time, I revisit and reflect on them. Some go all the way back to Thomas Jefferson and others are quite recent. Some are so timeless, periodless, and fitting they could have been penned yesterday and I would like to share a few of those with my readers during this time of inner reflection and resolution.

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity." - Albert Einstein

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. "

- Albert Einstein

"Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population. "

- Albert Einstein

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."

- Albert Einstein

"I've made the switch from cow's milk to soy but admit I still have far to go before claiming a vegetarian diet. I can claim, however, to be more conscious of the benefits, not only to our bodies, but to the environment. Sigh. Perhaps, in good time and with a new mindset….

"The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one."

- Albert Einstein

"Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging
day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways."

- Stephen Vincent Benet

"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt......If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake."

- Thomas Jefferson

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter."

- Thomas Jefferson

"If any ask us why we died, tell them, "Because our fathers lied"
- Rudyard Kipling-1915

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
- Mother Teresa

And my two personal favorites:

""Writing comes more easily if you have something to say ." - Sholem Asch

"If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers."

- Joseph Wood Krutch

A healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year to all my readers!

Copyright 2007 Patricia Paris

Contact: PatriciaParis@gmail.com

Patricia Paris is an author/columnist from East Tennessee
Member: Tennessee Mountain Writers, Int'l Women Writers Association, Tennessee Writers Alliance, Chattanooga Writers Guild