NO use telling you a hair-raising snow story -— by this time you will have accumulated your own best harrowing adventures. So there’s nothing for it but to plunge in to the new year that — ar the time of writing this column — sits shivering on the threshold, waiting for the moment to jump on to the stage. It's a tough call, in this weather, when all you are wearing is a diaper and a smile, but the show must go on. One hopes the litde rascal has had some lessons in deco- rum and sharing and level- headedness. At the same time, we would applaud indi- cations of wanting to foster good relations amongst all those various enthusiasts shouting Forward, this way, and the cautionary types urg- ing Not so fast. A brand new year. What a chance. It’s like opening a brand new scribbler when you were in Grade 5, and making the usual private vow that this time your scribbler will be a model of neatness. You'll leave spaces where they are a uired, and erase very y, never making changes by scratching out a line or a word and you will use your ruler to make neat demarcations. The teacher will notice and will put your name on the bulletin board for being so neat. What if you were empow- ered to design your own best new year? What if you could choose? What would you change? What would vou chuck? What would you multiply? When it comes right down to the nitty gritty, the only thing you really have the power to change is yourself, isn’t it? Think you're too old? Too set in your ways? We expect our young people to be com- pletely elastic about all of their problems — gosh, we could give them a list nght now about what we'd like them to change. But for our ownselves, that’s a different horse. “We've been there,” we say, “we've done that, we're old now, you'll } just have ta put up with us.” is that why we're still here? Just to sit around being old? What's the point of ail that living we did if that’s all that’s expected of us? Plato, in his maturity, was sought out by young would- be scholars hoping to equal his wisdom. Magellan had explored distant ' strange ide- ologies and lifestyles and was considered a wise man for reason of those experiences. But our adventures, yours and mine, no matter how far we’ve gone in our day, literal- ly or figuratively, are now : Stephen Wong Pharmacist The stare of a new year is always a good time to make commitments for better health. We promise our- selves changes in lifestyle, eating habits, exercise fre- quency, alcohol consump- | ion ... all to improve our chances for a long healthy ife. |) We don’t have to say much about the evils of smoking. } But now is a good time te stop. Your heart and Tunes } will chank you for it. Free Parking Free Delivery for Pharmacy Prescriptions DAVIES PHARMACY 1401 St. Georges _ 985-871 ~ ANNUAL SALE HUGE DISCOUNT ON PINE FURNITURE - Corner Unit 4 Welsh Dresser reg. $1980 Sale® 1499 reg. $2120 Sale"1250 | ' 8x3" Refectory Table 4' Rug Chest 3° Round Coffee Table reg. $970 Sale’ reg. $530 Sate®399 315 — veg. 498 Sale $699 3 fquare Table 315 Sale'360 6 Entertainment Unig esl 450 reg. 51840 5° Entertainment Uni ie’ 1275 reg. 51616 enjoved (if at all) for their quaintness, And that is only if we get past the opening frame: “When FE took the train... ” The world has whirled and the lessons we learned would nowadays offer neither con- tribution to nor protection A Call today for a free in-home assessment : #102-145 15th St. N. Van from the vagaries of the daily demands on our young peo- ple. Rupert Brook wrote a poem about a mythical (1 think) town he called Granchester, where things were set up so that if the inhabitants get to feeling old, “Sometimes Mom 9 needs help at home when we can't be fj there. Now, thank goodness, we know who to cair’ D. Waters West Vancouver 24 Hours a da There is no obligation § CAPILANO PET HOSPITAL is pleased to announce EXTENDED HOURS beginning January 2, 1997 — Mon-Fri 7:30am-9pm Sat & Sun 8:60am-Spm Please call 988-6188 for an appointment Serving the North Shore for aver 40 years 2580 Capilano Rd., North Vancouver 1340 marine drive * west vancouver Kitsilano 1850 w 4th © vancouver 926-2422 738-8411 as he put it, “they up and shoot themselves, I'm told.” Well, rhat’s a bit extreme, don’t you agree, only a young fellow would posit such a solution. So T suggest we stay serene and observant, you and I, and write it all down, so that when we do in fact shoot ourselves there will be a statement left behind to verify our passage and our lit- tre mark on the page. oy | FISH & [2