Reader resolutions for the new year

By Rabbi Marc Gellman, Tribune Content Agency on Jan 30, 2020

Here are some other small things:

"Take the stairs up two flights and down three."

"Don't litter ... ever."

"Purge your stuff regularly. If the thing you are looking at has not brought you joy, get rid of it (by donating to the poor)."

Also, have your kids purge their old toys so that you can habituate them to giving away things they really do not use and to prevent them from becoming hoarders.

"Give to beggars" (see my previous column).

"Spend a day with a relative you hardly ever see."

"Volunteer at a soup kitchen with your family."

"Become a puppy walker for your local guide dog for the blind foundation. They need volunteers to raise their future guide dogs for the first 12 months and then return the dogs for future training. (If the dog flunks out of guide dog school, you get to keep the dog as a pet.)

"Become a docent at a local museum." This not only helps the museum but also improves your knowledge of some area of history.

"Go to a gym or just walk one hour a day." I have done this, and it has changed my body, which means that it has also lowered the government's cost of sustaining old Rabbi Gellman.

And, of course, "Don't pee in the pool."

There is one small thing I believe we can do that can also save the world, and that thing is this...

Say something kind every day to a complete and utter stranger. Maybe it's just "Nice shoes," or maybe it is a smile and a non-phony, "Hi there." Maybe it is a thank you to the person who checked you out or the person who put your groceries in the bags you remembered to bring in from your car. The point is that kindness is real and small and contagious.

May we all do some really small and really loving things this year.

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including "Religion for Dummies," co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman.)