from the editor

MY annual New Year Resolutions:
1. Trip less.
2. Break fewer things.

So my resolutions aren’t very inspiring–nor do they yearn for grand leaps of greatness. My justification is this: I’m reputed as being a teensy tad clumsy now and then.

Preposterous, I know.

But not really. Friends euphemistically refer to me as “accident-prone,” as if it’s not really my fault. (I love my friends.) Rumor has it I’m often seen in a blur, frenzily flying from point A to point B–with unplanned diversions to points J and Q along the way. And where was I going again?

So I get sidetracked–as does anything in my house on a track. The garage door? Oh, yeah–totaled. Patio door? Yep, broke that too. It’s a unique skill to consistently break items that are both expensive and not under warranty.

I publicly trip over invisible barricades and take quick, one-way jaunts off the gym’s treadmill, rejected from the conveyor belt. When this happens, as any self-respecting woman would do, I pick myself up and act as though something was wrong with my shoe.

Stationary objects? I fly into them. Airborne objects? They fly into me. Wine glasses leak cabernet and spinach hors d’oeuvres dive to a graceful splat on white carpeting. I burn cakes, break ovens and drop the milk jug.

But upon recent self-reflection, I said good-bye to my repetitious resolution. I’ve found clarity in my clumsiness and embraced this lack of grace. Why? There’s a fine distinction between what is serious and what is not–and the majority of life’s circumstances, including many of life’s stumbles, fall within the latter category. No one can–or should expect–to always live in control with grace and perfection (thank goodness). Instead, laugh at imperfections–or publish them to ridicule yourself in print to 50,000 readers.

My new resolution? Focus on the simple things that matter most. On what’s real. On love, family, health and friends–with attentive time devoted to each.

Isn’t it odd how it’s the simple things that fulfill most fully? Snow-blanketed fields of LAKES Country, the crisp nip of cold on the nose, the sound of a skate blade to the ice, a crackling fire, and a good night’s rest. It’s moments with family, laughs with friends and cuddles from the kids. So what if I trip over myself? It just makes everyone else look better.

The New Year brings new possibilities–and that is what this issue of LAKES is all about. Improving a new you. Planning for the New Year to come. New discoveries and the pathways to take you there. Boat season will be back soon enough (check out our 2012 Boat Guide in this issue!), so why not enjoy winter’s chill in the meantime? Warmth awaits along your journey.

And while trudging along my journey’s path, I’ll keep walking … likely on a broken Italian heel whilst stumbling on a mirage, but I’ll smile with my stumbles. Eventually, I’ll reach my destination. And so will you. Which way is your journey?

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Sue Rawlinson
NILakes.com + Northern Indiana LAKES Magazine