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DawsonOpinion
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4-5, 2023
This is a page of opinion — ours, yours and
others. Signed columns and cartoons are the
opinions of the writers and artists, and they
may not reflect our views.
The non-resolution intention
SUDIE CROUCH
Columnist
Normally, I am
not a fan of New
Year's resolutions,
simply because I
know from person
al and statistical
experience, they
are doomed to fail
by some point in
February.
That said, I also am a big fan
of change, especially when it’s
change initiated by one's own
self and can help us be better
versions of our selves.
The last few years have been
quite stressful and unusual for
practically everyone in some
way, form, or fashion, and I
remember all too well the joke
that the 19 in COVID was in ref
erence to the pounds gained
within the first few months of
the pandemic.
However, I was chubby pre-
pandemic, so that wasn't my
excuse.
It didn't help, but it wasn't the
reason.
My chubbiness was some
thing I was acutely aware of too,
so I didn’t need anyone to point
it out to me as they sometimes
can.
People will treat you different
ly when you're a bit heavier than
you should be;
especially if they
knew you when
you were thinner,
and that can really
pack a wallop to
your self-esteem.
One of the first
things I do when I
run into someone I
knew when I was thinner was
announce - as if they don’t have
eyes - “I've gained weight.”
I think I do this because it also
takes out the pre-emptive strike
of them saying. “Did you put on
some weight” and it also lets
them know I'm aware of it, too.
You know, in case they think the
weight has gone unnoticed by
my jeans.
Right after Christmas, I ran
into someone I knew and saw
them give me the once over.
It was as if I could read their
mind. “Wow, she's gained a bit
of weight.”
I felt my cheeks bum; not
from that person’s judgment, but
from mine.
Feeling so disappointed in
myself made me realize I needed
to do something about it. No
more thinking “Well, such-and-
such holiday is coining up so
that's not a good time to start.”
I was so angry at myself.
I thought about what I would
have told someone else in the
same situation.
I would tell them to be a bit
kinder to themselves and to give
themselves a bit more grace. Our
value as a human being is so
much more than what we weigh
or our clothing size, I would also
think about all the things that the
scales couldn’t measure and
reflect - things I had accom
plished, moments of joy, or even
the moments where I had made
others happy.
The scales didn't reflect all the
things I had been through over
the last few years. Or maybe it
did, thanks to emotional eating,
but they didn’t show how I had
been resilient and grew with
each lesson. The scales didn’t
show my worth, what I offered,
or any of the potential that I
hold.
They never have and they
never will; not for me or anyone.
And losing weight is more
than just eating salads or walk
ing 30 minutes a day. So much
of it - maybe most of it -is men
tal and a lot of that is how we
feel about ourselves.
The confidence we have and
the knowing that we can do what
we set our minds to.
I thought about all of those
things and how I would have
told someone else not to be
angry with themselves but to
give themselves that grace and to
be kinder to themselves.
I knew it was something I
needed to give to myself, too.
Just like I didn’t gain the
weight overnight - well, some
times it felt like it did - it would
take a bit of time to change my
habits and be healthier. I didn’t
want to throw in the towel by the
time Valentine’s Day rolled
around. So I knew I needed to
not make any wild, outlandish
plan like “20 pounds in a
month.”
Still. I didn’t want to call it a
resolution because there is such
an icky connotation to that word
for me; I know it’s something
that may not stick and I really
wanted to create a lasting
change. Instead, I think I will
call an intention - meaning I am
taking a bit more of a meaning
ful approach and easing into the
process. I know what to do; I just
need to do it.
So this year, I am going into it,
still resolution free - but embrac
ing the fact I need a change. Just
going about it with a bit of self-
love and grace.
Sudie Crouch is an award win
ning humor columnist.
Ukrainians fighting hard for freedom
Some advice
for new year
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
“Who’s there?”
“It’s 2023. May
I come in? It’s a
bit cold out here.
All I’m wearing
is a sash and
some Huggies!”
“Please do. I’m glad to see you but
aren’t you supposed to be getting ready
for, well, uh, the new year?”
“That is what I wanted to talk to you
about. Before he left, 2022 told me that
one of the first things I should do is to talk
to you. He said you know a lot of stuff
about a lot of stuff. I could use your
advice.”
“My first piece of advice would be to
ditch the outfit and wear something more
appropriate. It is hard to take a year seri
ously when it is wearing Huggies and a
sash.”
“Thank you. 2022 was correct. You are
one sharp dude. As soon as we are finished
here, I’ll see if I can find a set of
Bermudas. But does it really matter how I
dress? 2022 told me the ice is melting at
the North Pole so fast, we are all going to
fry pretty soon, anyway. Scared me so bad,
I almost soiled my Huggies. Hope it
doesn’t happen on my watch.”
“I hope so, too. But if I were you, I
would stay away from A1 Gore. He will
scare you so badly about global warming,
you might soil your Bermudas.”
“Okay, so noted. But no more talk about
a rapid increase in Earth’s surface temper
ature and its potential impact on my per
sonal hygiene. Let’s get back to the reason
for my visit. What can I look forward to
during my time here?”
“I hate to tell you this but your predeces
sors, 2020, 2021 and 2022 did you no
favors. We are a deeply divided people in
the U.S. We’ve got people who can’t get
over an election that has long been over.
We’ve also got people who can’t get over a
war that’s been over for a century-and-a-
half. Sadly, we seem to be at a point where
we can’t disagree without being disagree
able.”
“Oh, my! 2022 didn’t tell me this. I do
remember the smirk on his face when he
handed me the calendar and said, ‘Good
luck, kid’ before he shuffled out the door.”
“It gets worse. There were at least 607
mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022, includ
ing 300 school shooting incidents, which
resulted in 637 deaths and more than 2,500
people injured.”
“That rat 2022 didn’t say one word
about that. Not one word!”
I guess he also didn’t tell you that in
February of 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine.
It hasn’t gone well and one of the things
you are going to have to watch out for is if
Vladimir Putin gets frustrated enough to
employ nuclear weapons and start World
War III, assuming that little dweeb with
the bad haircut in North Korea doesn’t
beat him to it.”
“Good grief! I’m wondering if there is
any way I could get out of this job. Would
you be interested? Personally, I think you
would look fetching in a sash and
Huggies.”
“Thanks, but no. I have my own prob
lems. I have yet to figure out the difference
in ‘who’ and ‘whom.’ I can’t parallel park
and I’m always misplacing my cellphone
My life is not as easy as make it look.”
“Well, it looks like I have no choice but
to suck it up and hope I last long enough
to hand things off to 2024, that poor
unsuspecting year.”
“Don’t despair. I predict a lot of good
things will also occur while you are here,
2023.”
“I could use some good news. Talk to
me.”
“Well, I am convinced there is more
good than evil in this world. There are
kindnesses happening all around us every
day that won’t make the headlines. But
they are there, nonetheless. There will be
hugs and tears, laughter and love. There
will be those to whom we say goodbye
while you are here and there will be new
life and new hope. None of this will be
your responsibility. It will be up to those
of us who will occupy this space and your
time. Hopefully, 2023, you will be the year
that will inspire us to find our better
selves.”
“Thank you. I am so glad we had this
talk. Now, I am ready to go to work. And
just think - no more Huggies or that silly
sash! That alone will make me a Happy
New Year!”
You can reach Dick Yarbrough atdick@dickyar-
brough.com; at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, GA
31139; online atdickyarbrough.com or on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/dickyarb.
By Dr. Larry Anderson
Anderson Family Medicine
Sherman was right: War is hell. I was in
a small town that was 6 miles from the
border with Russia. It was eerie. The
town had been leveled by rocket/missile/
artillery attacks. It was quiet. No people.
No dogs. No cattle. No chickens. No
birds. No buildings or homes were stand
ing. Nothing. What happened? I spoke
with the police officer who had lived
there. Most of the children were safe but
not all.
Before the attack, the children had
spent 3 days in a bomb shelter and then
were moved to a safer area. Then the
attack began. The area was destroyed. I
LETTERTOTHE EDITOR
Evil carbon
Every day like a drum, the left wing
wokens beat on the drum and chant
Carbon is Evil. Carbon is Evil. Again and
again.
The use of carbon by humans might
become a problem. It is certainly not an
emergency that requires us to shut down
all use of it and try and get by with solar
and windmills. But the new religion of
“Evil Carbon” will not tolerate anyone
who argues against this idea.
Records indicate that C02 in parts per
million have moved up from about 300 to
400 in the last half century. Those
increases probably have been caused by
man.
But keep in mind these are parts per
million. The atmosphere is about 78%
nitrogen which is sort of neutral, 21%
oxygen which is what we need to
breathe, and only about .04% C02. That
is 4/100 of a percent. Of that .04% that is
C02 about one-third is caused by
humans. C02 is a little bitty piece of the
whole.
By the way C02 is needed by plants to
make 02 which is the good stuff.
Without plants making 02 we would not
have to worry about any of these prob
lems
But we are reminded by scientists that
they are scientists. And these scientists
remind us again and again that scientists
would never ever be wrong about any
thing. They all claim to have gone only to
the best schools and they then know bet
ter than anyone about anything.
But they could be right. We might have
could see debris from the homes and
buildings, small craters in the fields, and
just plain devastation. The officer told me
of going through the rubble to recover
bodies of adults and children. It was sad.
It will make you angry.
There was one building that was some
what still standing. It was made of rein
forced concrete and was a two story ele
mentary school. We carefully walked
through and up the stairs to what
remained of a classroom. No windows
and only debris on the floor. Based on the
books and student work that we found it
was a 4th grade English class. I was
called to the comer of the room and told
they had found something important and
a problem with rising temperatures and
rising water in the future if they are right.
But today if we stop carbon now we will
create much bigger prob-lems than global
warming perhaps caused by human use
of carbon.
I am a skeptic. You should be also. We
should make them prove their solutions
work for enough green electricity before
our lights go out and we have to walk
everywhere and eat Kudzu roots to stay
alive.
Gary Pichon
Marble Hill
Happy New Year
A very contentious election year has
ended and there were some great results.
The best thing that happened was that
Americans all over the country stood up
to the extreme right wing of the
Republican Party and did not (except in a
few cases, i.e., Burt Jones in Georgia)
elect Trump’s handpicked extremist can
didates. Georgia Sen. Raphael Wamock
was re-elected to a 6-year term in the US
Senate in a close race against Trump’s
Candidate, Herschel Walker. Truth over
lies triumphed!
Some bad things also happened:
1. Brian Kemp was re-elected as our
governor. This was despite the following:
a. He signed the Georgia Voter
Suppression Bill, SB202 while sitting in
front of a civil war era painting of a plan
tation that enslaved hundreds of Negroes
in the 17th and 18th C.
b. He blamed President Biden for the
inflation that hurt our pocketbooks when
in fact, the pandemic is the major cause
I needed to see it.
Amongst the rubble I could see a patch
of blue with a white star. Carefully mov
ing the debris I could see it was a small
American flag. It was respectfully and
tenderly removed and handed to me. It
was damaged, some bum marks were on
the edge. Everyone stood quietly and just
looked at it.
All I could think of was that we do not
leave our flag behind. I brought it home.
You can see it in my office and yes, you
can even touch it if you like. You can also
see the video of the find and their handing
it to me.
The Ukrainians know this may be their
last chance at keeping their independence
and freedom. They will not let their citi
zens or soldiers die in vain. Ukraine will
prevail. Prayer requires action. Be safe.
of this inflation around the world.
c. He claimed that it was his political
expertise that helped Georgia realize a $6
Billion surplus when in fact it was
because the Biden Administration passed
legislation that propped up America dur
ing the pandemic. The American Rescue
Plan helped millions of Americans feed
their families and keep a roof over their
heads when the economy shut down
(Trump’s shutdown); the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act created jobs in
building bridges and roads, installing
Broadband, supporting electrification of
vehicles, updating ports and railroads,
and supporting our hard-working track
drivers!! And the Inflation Reduction Act
lowered the tax rate for everyone making
less than $400,000 for 2023. And by the
way, this happened while Democrats
reduced the deficit!
There is lots of work to do in the
upcoming state legislative session. The
first item on the agenda is the budget.
Democrats and responsible, caring
Republicans will fight against Kemp’s
idea of giving that surplus to the wealthy
through property tax reductions and cuts
in income tax. They will instead ask that
only public schools be funded with our
tax dollars, that Medicaid is expanded so
that 500,000 uninsured Georgians can get
health care, and that tax breaks are avail
able for green energy projects.
Democrats are up to the challenge, and
we will continue to work to make our
country better and stronger for ALL
AMERICANS!
Bette Holland
Chair, Dawson County Democratic
Committee
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