Be it Resolved

Molly and Paula with their dogs, Flap Jack and Pop Tart aka “The Breakfast Club.”

Did you make a New Year’s resolution for 2020? Flat Rock Together was curious to see what area residents and visitors had planned for not only the new year, but a new decade. We also wanted to know what would make 2020 a successful year in their opinion. 

So we sent our intrepid team of reporter to collect the thoughts and ideas of some of the very first people to hit the trails at The Park at Flat Rock early in the morning on January 1, 2020. 

Here is what we heard.

Fred and Penny; Flat Rock:

Fred: We don’t make resolutions because we've pretty much taken care of that every day. We exercise and try to do things financially correct every day. (In 2020) I do wish people would get along a lot better.

Penny: We were talking about that this morning. You know, there's no point in people being hateful towards each other. You may have a difference of opinion, but it's just that - a difference of opinion. I hope that changes in 2020.

Rick and Laurie, Hendersonville off Old Kanuga Rd.

Rick: We’ve done many decades of New Year’s resolutions that started one day, and ended the following Monday. So now we know we're not going to diet all year long and we try to use this time of year to set a goal for between now and spring of how much weight we'd like to lose. And we do that primarily for health - to stay off medications and to get better reports when we go in and have our annual physicals.

Laurie:  We’ve done his for the the last seven years and we get better at maintaining it through the year. What would make 2020 successful? I'd say just building and maintaining relationships with family and friends. That becomes more important as we get older.

Kathy, Visiting Flat Rock from Wisconsin

No, I don’t make resolutions. It doesn’t have to be New Year’s to decide to change something about your life.

Tony and Jan, moved to Flat Rock in November

Tony: I wasn't going to, but last night we kind of decided to go ahead and make some resolutions - things to work on, not really resolutions. I’ve had a few health issues this year, so work on those and make those better. I just retired and we just moved out here. So we want to kind of get oriented and find out what we want to do with ourselves now.

Jan: We are wildfire refugees from Northern California. We moved here in November so we have a new home and we are trying to get settled. In 2020 we want to figure out what we are going to do here, what our purpose is going to be, and try to move beyond all the fallout from the fires.

Margaret and Eulis, Henderson County

Margaret: To just enjoy each day. Just being healthy and being able to help others and just enjoy each day because each day is a special day.

Debra and Jim, East Flat Rock

Debra:  I want to do my sit-ups and leg lifts every day instead of just now and then. Yeah. And have only two glasses of wine at night instead of however many that we're having.

Jim:  I’m a musician. So I'm trying to find musicians around here. So trying to find the players that like to do what I like to do - progressive Celtic music. That's my resolution.

Mike, Flat Rock:  My plan for this year is really just to tighten my belt, I'm going to collect social security next year. Watch my health. Last year, my year started off lousy with a lot of bad health problems. My blood sugar was way up here. I needed a crown and a root canal. So I started off really crappy. So for this year, I need to work on getting my health back together.

Arlen with his dog Little Bit, 6th generation Henderson County

New year's resolution? Never really thought much about it, but I would say be less prone to getting agitated too quick. In this world now everything can get on your nerves real quick. Try to be more even keel. (What would make 2020 a better year?) You know. I think we're the greatest country in the world of course, but if we had cooperation and everybody worked together, we could be a lot better off.

Barbara, visiting from Upstate New York

Now that you asked me, what I would like to do is be more intentional about working out since that has kind of fallen by the wayside over the last year. So that's one thing I would like to do. And at the end of this year, I'm planning on retiring, so I just want to do the things that I haven't been able to do for the past 30 years. I want to go back and take French 101 and do better in that and continue with it and I would like to continue with the piano. 

(For 2020)  I think for people to get along. Our divisions are sad divisions  - political and how we see the world. That would be really nice. (Do you think there's any hope?) Oh, I definitely do. We each have to give in a little bit.

Mike and Kelli, Hendersonville

The main one is getting healthier. You know, after the holidays, all that bad eating. (What would make 2020 successful) For my business to be doing well, doing better than it has, and things running smoothly because we just moved here from Illinois.

Paula and Molly, Ft Lauderdale, FA

Paula: My resolution every year is gratitude - just really stay grateful for what I have instead of focusing on what I don't or what isn't going well. Try to focus on what is important and how's that going. You have to remind yourself to get in gratitude and stay in gratitude. That's something my grandfather taught me. When you start feeling that life is going sideways, think about how it is going in the right direction, too.

Molly:  I would like to help more people volunteer. And see more kindness in the world and to impart more kindness myself.

And finally …

Flat Rock Together, Flat Rock

We resolve to find more interesting people, places, and events in Flat Rock and share them with you. And to connect with more people this year. There’s a lot of good news in our village and we want to celebrate those stories. Thanks for helping us keep our resolution!