Well, here we are again, turning over another calendar for another new year.

Has it really been a year that I finally had gotten used to writing the year as 2023?

It seems like it was only a few months ago that I finally could write 2023 without hesitation.

A long time ago when my dad commented to me that the older we are the faster time goes by I was sure he was wrong. As a teenager that never made sense to me.

“Dad, we all get the same 24 hours to a day. It doesn’t have anything to do with our age,” I insisted.

It was about another 20 years until I realized he was right. When we’re busy raising children and taking care of a family the only problem we have with time is that we’re too busy to get everything done.

I’m not sure how old I was when I started complaining that time was flying by too fast. But I soon came to think it does seem as if time whizzes by us faster each year.

I’ve always likened the end of each year to a stop sign in life. To me, it’s a stop sign that says “Hey, pay attention to how you are spending your time.” Don’t let time whiz by without taking serious stock of how you are spending your time.

That thought might be what led so many to do New Year’s resolutions. We wanted to clean out our bad habits and do a better job of what we do with our time.

This year I didn’t make a big list of behaviors I wanted to modify or things I wanted to chance. The year seemed to be all about surviving.

But starting way back in October I started thinking about changes I wanted to make.

The change I wanted could best be summarized by a T-shirt I saw someone wear. In huge writing the message on the shirt was “Faith over Fear.”

I’ve always been a woman of faith but since the hurricane that destroyed my house I notice how fear has settled into my thoughts.

The hurricane that turned my home into rubble wasn’t what finally helped fear become my unwanted traveling companion.

It was the serious storm that followed.

Little by little I had watched my house being rebuilt. Much of the inside work was completed after new luxury vinyl flooring was installed throughout the house.

A few days after the floors were installed a serious tropical storm with heavy rain and high winds hit our area. At one point the 70 mph winds started blowing sideways.

I watched in disbelief as rain was blown through the patio doors, flooding my lanai.

Through the night I worked for seven hours straight trying to mop up the water before it could damage my new flooring.

Luckily, the flooring is water resistant so only about a third of the flooring was ruined and needed replacement.

But I worried that if a storm could cause that damage what would happen if we got hit with another hurricane.

That’s when fear settled in, trying to push out all of my trust and faith.

My contractor said the water came in only because the super gutter wasn’t installed. Once it was, I didn’t have to worry, he said.

Ha!

When you go through all that, it’s almost impossible to keep fear away when a storm is approaching.

I talked with several hurricane survivors who feel the same way.

Eventually I learned my contractor was right. With new super gutters no water can get in.

I tried to buy a T-shirt that says Faith over Fear. But they were all sold out so I just have to keep that message foremost in my mind.

Meanwhile, my New Year’s resolution is keeping my faith and not weakening under duress.

Many of my friends are back to doing more socializing. It’s been missing for far too long.

On one occasion, in recognition of the new year, they went around the table with a question and answer game.

One question was to tell the best thing that happened to you during the past year. My answer was seeing my secure home again become a reality.

Many of us had the same answer for what was the worst thing that happened to us. It was watching our homes get ripped apart and worrying we wouldn’t survive as the hurricane plummeted us for seven hours.

OK, the moderator said, now let’s ask the same questions differently. What was the best thing that happened to you in life.

It gets hard to narrow it down.

The day of my marriage, the births of my two daughters was foremost.

Several of us cited memorable family moments. No one mentioned career highs.

How would you answer those questions?

Oh, I do have one more resolution.

Since it’s a given that life keeps rushing by faster each year, it’s important to make the most of every single day.

Take each day and feel it, live it, cherish it.

Wring all the joy and all the goodness out of each day.

Be aware of the all the great little moments.

We might not be able to slow time but we sure can get more out of life by being aware of the gift of each day.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.