Pumpkin Bingo is back on Oct. 15
To wrap up 2021, we asked residents the following: What are your New Year’s resolutions? AND what are your hopes for 2022?
Ann Goos, Magnolia: My New Year’s resolution for 2022 remains what it has been for years: Striving every day to be a better person. That means being a loving & present friend, an understanding & caring wife, a valuable and dedicated volunteer in my community, and a responsible, effective consultant in my work life. What I hope for in 2022 is pretty simple - cheering on and investing in medical research to continue tackling the pandemic and easing the impact on the physical and mental health of a tired world. And, in the words of John Lennon, continuing to imagine all the people living in a world of peace. Here’s to a new year!
Nancy Weinbeck, CEO of Bayview, Uptown: The latest research on behavior and habit change points us to moderation: Less is more. Achievable goals that are within reach and not an overwhelming stretch increases one’s odds of making positive behavioral changes. Not only are ambitious goals difficult to achieve, but failure to achieve them can be demoralizing, which increases our likelihood to double down on the bad habits we were trying to change in the first place. With that in mind, here are my unresolutions for 2022:
• I unresolve to lose 10 pounds in 2022. Instead, I will eat one less cookie. In 2022.
• I unresolve to drink half my body weight in water each day. Instead, I’ll drink a glass of water with at least one meal. In 2022.
• I unresolve to exercise five days a week. Instead, I’ll exercise one day. In 2022.
But seriously, it’s no newsflash that making healthier food choices, increasing activity and socializing play a key role in healthy aging. So eat a little better. Sometimes. Add a few steps to your day. When you can. And check in with a friend or loved one. When you have the bandwidth. The rewards you get from doing the small things can lead to big changes over time. Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2022.
District 36 Sen. Reuven Carlyle, Queen Anne: We’re living in a time of uncertainty and disequilibrium in our global community. Tensions surrounding climate, COVID, equity, economics, international affairs and challenges to our quality of life seem to be accelerating in real-time. On a serious level, my resolution is to do my part as your state senator to help us all be safe, healthy and to find our way through this challenging time.
More importantly, with deep humility, it is my expectation that I will win the Nobel Peace Prize this year. I am single-handily reducing noise on Queen Anne and Magnolia and across Washington state while simultaneously fighting climate change. I am introducing the most popular bill of the 2022 legislative session: “Cash for Lawn Clunkers!” Simply turn in any gas powered lawn equipment (working or not), buy quiet and clean electric, and you’ll get up to $200 reimbursement under my legislation. One hour of noisy leaf blower (literally) emits same as Seattle to LA drive! I will invite all of the 36th district residents to join me for the award ceremony!
Monica Wooton, Magnolia: In the post traumatic (and, ongoing) stress of COVID, I really believe that gratitude is the ONLY antidote! So for me, it will be a year to embrace thankfulness. I will work through the year long gratitude practice of the book “I Want to Thank You” by Gina Hamadey; resurrect a reenergized mindfulness practice attending compline at St. Mark’s Cathedral on Sunday eves; and, hopefully, starting an active mindfulness meditation group in Magnolia. COVID reminded me so of the importance of breathing … I resolve to watch season three of Ted Lasso as he already taught us: “Be like a goldfish,” that appreciation and forgiveness are imperative in relationships, “be curious not judgmental” and that “living in the moment, it’s a gift. That’s why they call it the present.” I hope writing and teaching writing will also be big part of my new year to a greater degree ... I welcome you.
Zac Cooper, Cooper’s Optique, Uptown: I am excited to sit down and make some New Year’s Resolutions for 2022. For work I definitely want to beat the 52 events/collaborations we did in 2021 and hopefully hit 75! Personally, I am excited to do more family traveling including Las Vegas, New York, Hawaii and our hometowns Detroit and Omaha! I hope 2022 is just a little better than 2021. I hope that I have the opportunity to continue connecting and helping the Uptown community grown and become all that it has potential to be!
King County District 4 Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles: My New Year’s resolutions are to: 1) lose my COVID weight, which I acknowledge will be tough as I have found it difficult to avoid eating “comfort food” such as Nestle Toll House milk chocolate morsels and homemade breads. I walk and hike a lot, but doing so, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to balance the extra calories; and 2) reduce the stress associated with serving as King County councilmember for District Four, which likely will occur as I’m stepping down from serving as Budget Chair, which I have been for the past two years. Under my leadership we’ve approved a record 13 budgets, including eight COVID budgets, one biennial budget and four supplemental budgets. I’ve enjoyed doing so but that’s enough. Instead, I’ll likely be chairing the Committee of the Whole.
My hopes for 2022 are, of course, for COVID to end completely but perhaps more realistically to have a minimal number of people be seriously affected by it. I also hope that what we’ve learned from the past two years will be transformative in positive ways, including but not limited to the importance of public health, work flexibility with remote options and needs of essential workers, emergency preparedness, climate change remedies, race/ethnicity equity, affordable housing and permanent supportive housing for those in need, access to affordable quality child care, community needs and public safety, and the importance of all sectors to our economy.
I also dare hope to spend time inside without wearing a mask with my family and friends; drinking the bad coffee when returning to the King County Courthouse for in-person work; taking my two-year-old granddaughter Frances Fern on outings; visiting my 1½-year-old grandson, Eli, in Ithaca, New York; eating out with friends at the wonderful restaurants in my district; attending sports, music, theatre and other large events, including HempFest at Myrtle Edwards Park; eating popcorn at the movies; traveling with my husband. In other words, living freely again.
And, finally, I wish for all my 252,000+ D4 constituents and all of our 2.3 million+ King County residents a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2022!