The year 2013 perhaps will merit brief mention in the history books. There was no new president, nor a new war.
The news seemed to be dominated by celebrity or matters of little lasting import: the royal births of Prince George of Cambridge and North West of the E! Network, the crack smoking of a Canadian mayor and Amazon’s drones that carried publicity but not products.
Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency tracks the basic information on millions of our phone calls. But we paid little attention, instead taking “selfies,” the online photos of ourselves that became Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year.
The Denver Broncos looked ready for a Super Bowl, but the Rockies’ roster looked mile-high thin. And we still don’t have the jetpacks we were promised as kids.
Nevertheless, for many of us, the New Year is a time to improve ourselves. To that end, several Durangoans shared their resolutions for 2014.
Many of them had to do with getting more physically fit. This week will see the treadmills and elliptical machines full at local gyms.
“We do see a spike in memberships with the New Year,” said Ken Flint, general manager of the Durango Sports Club. “The numbers prove that’s the case.”
Flint said the New Year provides a psychological fresh start for those looking to improve their fitness.
“It’s just excitement with the start of the New Year that you can be better than last year,” he said. “We try to promote and encourage that and hold people to that.”
Flint resolved for 2014 to act more like Jesus, a figure noted for his selflessness.
Some made resolutions for their institutions as well as themselves. State Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, said she hopes “cool heads prevail” this year at the Capitol.
Her personal resolution perhaps is the most common one, what Roberts calls “the fitness resolution.”
“This job involves a lot of sitting and eating, so my resolution is to get more exercise,” she said.
Dave Thibodeau, president of Ska Brewing Co., has a more complicated resolution. Thibodeau drinks a fair amount of beer and reads a lot of books. The one is interfering with the other.
“Through a fairly complicated algorithm,” Thibodeau said, he’s deduced he reads about 10 fewer pages a night for every beer he drinks. Therefore, he has resolved to drink one less beer each night, which should result in reading 10 more pages.
Thibodeau figures he will read an extra book, which for him averages about 400 pages, every 40 days. That will enable him to read 40 books in 2014, up from 30 books last year.
For Ska, Durango’s largest brewery, Thibodeau is borrowing a resolution from Heather Hooten, who leads weekly yoga classes at the brewery.
“Sometimes the best resolution, if you can’t think of something you’d like to change, is to continue to do the things you do best,” Thibodeau said. “Our resolution is to continue to brew some of the best beers in the world.”
Al Harper, owner of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, said he has three primary resolutions for 2014.
“I want to work harder physically and be sharper mentally,” he said. “The last one is I want to put more effort in loving God, family, country and community.”
Mary Monroe, executive director of the Durango nonprofit Trails 2000, said she wants to continue to create trail opportunities the community desires and to encourage users to share the trails.
This year’s calendar already is filling in. Two of Durango’s representatives in Washington, D.C., Sen. Mark Udall and Rep. Scott Tipton, will ask voters for re-election in November. The city of Durango and La Plata County are slated to approve marijuana regulations this summer, paving the way for recreational pot shops and grow facilities here. Telluride and Denver, among other Colorado cities, will be getting high on their own supply starting today.
Durango City Councilor Christina Rinderle said she’ll work on “living a full life versus a busy life” in 2014.
“Whether it be a walk on the river trail or a ride in Horse Gulch, catching up with an old friend or meeting new ones, the focus will be on living a balanced, full life,” she said.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
