Let's Talk with Terry Ambrose

For 2023, our author collective resolves to take positive actions to make the world better in some way. There’s so much we can do for the people we already know and for those we haven’t met yet.

Here are a few thoughts about how one kindness often begets another. First we shouldn’t worry about what to say. Often it’s being present for the other person that counts the most. We’ve found reaching out isn’t hard to do; it’s often a matter of getting started.

Won’t you join with us? Let’s help people be less lonely. Let’s reach out to family and friends more!

Debra H Goldstein: My resolution is to be a friend to others. A friend is a person who can keep a confidence, share a laugh, listen quietly when needed, be a cheerleader, or offer encouragement and understanding even when busy, tired, or out-of-sorts. In the end, it is a matter of showing up for others.

Maggie Toussaint: I resolve to call more people this year. Texts are so quick to send, and texts can be hard to interpret. For most of us who text infrequently, the phone messages feel like a quick, impersonal status board, where we report, vent, rave, etc, and we don’t usually drift into stray topics as would happen in a call. Wouldn’t you love to have those meaningful conversations with loved ones? I know I would!

Lois Winston: Because I’m someone who prefers cocooning myself away in my Writer’s Cave, my resolution this year is to try to step outside my comfort zone more often to make new friends in the state where I now call home.

Diane A. S. Stuckart: My 2023 resolution (though I prefer the term “goal”) is to update my calendar with the important dates connected to family and friends. Oh, I know when my parents and siblings were all born, along with the birthdays of a couple of BFFs, but as for the rest…well, let’s just say my record-keeping leaves something to be desired. And that’s just birthdays. Don’t expect that I remember your wedding anniversary, no matter that I attended the happy occasion. I’m doing good to remember my own! Thus, my goal in the coming months is to lock in the dates of these important milestones so that by 2024 I’ll be the queen of sending out timely greetings and felicitations to those near and dear to me. 

Cheryl Hollon: My resolution for 2023 is to send more greeting cards to people who rarely get mail. I know quite a few parents of friends who are in assisted living that are delighted to receive a postcard or a letter. It brings joy and doesn’t take that much time.

Nancy J Cohen: My resolution is to call my friends more often. I mean the friends I left behind when we moved from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando two years ago. Location shouldn’t prevent us from keeping in touch. During the initial Covid outbreak, we communicated via Zoom or phone or email. There’s no reason why we can’t continue to do so. I get absorbed in daily activities and let phone calls lapse, but I need to do better next year and call the people who matter more often.

Terry Ambrose: While the 2020 pandemic caused us to hunker down and isolate for well over a year, we still saw the need to do something to help our local community. We shifted our goals to providing more financial support for our local food bank. My resolution is to continue providing that support in 2023 and beyond.

Wishing everyone all the best in the coming year. We’d love to hear your thoughts on what you’d like to do in 2023. Perhaps its a wish, a resolution, or a goal. Whatever works for you is the right thing. Happy New Year!

(All images are royalty-free from Dreamstime.com)