Posted: Sunday, December 30, 2007 12:00 am
Thankfully there's no formal penalty for blowing off a New Year's resolution.
Unless yours is to stop kicking puppies or something, nobody but you is typically harmed when your resolve burrows into a hole like the groundhog in early February. And you got into the thing already knowing your limitations.
For those committed to remaining noncommittal, there might be another way. Look externally. Resolve to help someone else who you won't let down.
Wind Lake resident Philip Bosanko did, although it wasn't a new year that prompted his efforts. More like a new start.
Life tastes a little sweeter to the 50-year-old these last few months, since cancer fled his colon and liver. It's the sigh of relief that never came 15 years ago when his wife died of breast cancer. Bosanko has taken the initiative to share his unfortunate expertise.
He and a couple of co-workers at the Transportation Security Administration - the national agency that scans airport luggage to make sure you left your nunchucks at home - compiled some resources for others dealing with cancer. Those included a bunch of toll-free hotlines, as well as a couple of lesser-known but always accessible listings: their own.
"We just put our phone numbers on there and said, 'We're here,' " he said.
Reminds me of the movie "Pay It Forward" starring child actor Haley Joel Osment, who took a break from seeing dead people to help live ones. His character's idea was as potent as it was simple: When somebody helps you, pass it on - exponentially.
Right before Christmas, I noticed a wave of that. Technically a ripple, I suppose, considering the magnitude of the actions. A co-worker helps a confused woman find her new car in the jammed Regency Mall lot. A stranger hands over the only remaining cart to my wife at Target, who was clearly straining with the car seat.
It'd be fascinating to interview Samaritans to see whose good deed inspires them to pay it forward. Clearly I'm not the only one who mentally jots down that kind of aberrant behavior.
Efforts like Bosanko's take a few more ounces of commitment. For his assorted small but significant works and general good guy-ness, his employer gave him an unsung heroes award. News of the award came to me from Cancer Treatment Centers of America, where Bosanko was treated.
Some readers might also recognize him as the guy who puts up the firefighter display each year in memory of the Sept. 11 attacks. Bosanko parks a fire truck in the driveway, displays flags carrying the names of those killed and queues up a light show. He fought fires in the Air Force, and the profession is deep in his blood.
As he ground through the lower points of his disease in 2006, he thought about skipping the tribute. His brothers wouldn't let that happen.
"I sat in a lawn chair and yelled out directions," he said.
Until he's up to slinging monster suitcases again, Bosanko is on part-time administrative duty for the TSA.
As the baggage of 2007 gets tossed to history's curb, maybe a few resolute types out there will notice Bosanko's deeds and decide to christen the new calendar with a little of their own charitable heavy lifting.
My spies
A fresh year brings a fresh plea. I'm always on the prowl for interesting people, unusual happenings and bureaucratic silliness in Racine County to write about. If you know of some good stuff, don't keep it bottled up; pop the cork and fill my glass.
Mike Moore can be reached at (262) 631-1724 or: mike.moore@lee.net