I had a boss, years ago, who hated change. When staff would present a new idea, his inevitable response was: “Let’s not reinvent the wheel.” When it comes to New Years’ Resolutions, I think too many of us try to reinvent the wheel. Large changes are difficult to implement and maintain.
I remember my mom’s approach with new foods or recipes. “Just try it,” she’d say, “try one bite.” This seems like a sensible approach to a New Year. Try something new. Expanding your horizon doesn’t mean overhauling your entire life. Just try one bite. Here are some suggestions for 2026 to encourage you to take that first little bite.
- Read outside your usual type. Try a book you wouldn’t ordinarily pick up. Say, geography? Try “How to Lie with Maps” by Mark Monmonier.
- Read in a different way. Ebooks and audiobooks are reading, too. If you haven’t tried these formats, check out the Libby app on the library’s website, or ask for help at your library.
- Eat something different. How about a new food, like tofu, or a food from a new area? I’m trying “Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey and Lebanon” by José Andrés.
- Play a new game. The library has pickleball sets or board games to place on hold for checkout.
- Watch a documentary. How about “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind” or another celebrity bio?
- Change a room. Or just imagine the possibilities. Browse through “Own Your Space” by Alexandra Gater.
- Let it go. You don’t have to keep stuff forever, just because Grandma left it to you, or it’s still perfectly usable. See “Less: A Visual Guide to Minimalism” by Rachel Aust.
- Get creative. Draw a picture, paint a scene, write a story, pen a poem. Read “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron, or pick up instructions about something that intrigues you.
- Explore a language. Access Mango Languages through the library, as well as books, CDs and DVDs to try a new language - even sign language.
- Make something. Bake a fancy cake, create a Lego vehicle, build a bookcase. Pick up “DIY: Repair, Renovate, and Decorate with Over 450 Step-by-Step Projects” by Julian Cassell. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Zip-tie your perfectionist streak and throw it in the back of the closet.
- Get out of the house. Walk Fort Vancouver, visit the new waterfront area. Walk at Lacamas Regional Park or hike at Lucia Falls. For easy nature walks, even using a walker or pushing a stroller, see “Strolling and Wheeling Around Vancouver, WA” by Jessica Becker.
- Attend something in your community. How does the Port of Vancouver function? There’s a great tour. Or sign up for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Citizens’ Academy.
There are 12 items on my list. Imagine if you took one bite each month this year. Just one bite…
-Blog post by Senior Collection Development Librarian Beth Wood. This article was originally published as part of her weekly column, Check It Out, in The Columbian.
New at the Library
This is just a small sampling of the many new titles added each week to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District collection. Visit the district’s 15 locations, our website at www.fvrl.org, or call (360) 906-5000 to reserve titles or find additional listings.
FICTION
“All My Bones” by P.J. Nelson
“Merlot Marriage” by Fancy Roberts
“The Birdwatcher” by Jacquelyn Mitchard
NONFICTION
“Radical Cartography” by William Rankin
“My Mother’s Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving” by Beth Pinsker
“In the Arena” Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace and Revolution” by David S. Brown
CHILDREN
“Don’t Eat Eustace” by Lian Cho
“Small Mighty Dung Beetle” by Mary Auld
“Ms. Pennypickle’s Puzzle Quest” by Chris Grabenstein
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