Good Evening TXK
I drank hot tea for the very first time in my whole life the day I took the picture for this article. I felt so fancy. I’m a Texan, so the only tea I have ever known is obviously Chicken Express sweet tea, and if you don’t agree that’s the best sweet tea, don’t even talk to me. Never in a million years did I imagine I’d be drinking this wonderful, warm jasmine tea from Local Habit Coffee Co., or that I’d actually be enjoying it! It felt foreign to me, but it was also a nice, deep, long hug to me on that cold day. Gosh, this all makes me sound like I really need to get out more.
I’m envious of people who can walk outside the bubble of their comfort zone every single day, trying new things, doing everything that fascinates them, meeting new people, etc. I want to be one of those people, and in some ways, I am. But more often than not, I have to pep talk my way into it for three weeks in advance. I have done so many exciting things between 2020 and now just because I took a leap of faith and said YES to things. That’s all it takes sometimes—a yes. Everything else tends to work itself out.
In 2023, I want to improve the way I eat and to maintain a healthy diet, but just saying yes to green tea and changing my eating habits isn’t enough. I also want to say “yes” to better prioritizing things in my life, “yes” to being more organized, “yes” to working harder and to lifting weights. I want to just say “yes” more often in general and to stop being afraid of everything. We all know this is much easier said than done, but I’d like to point out that last year’s January article featured me up against a weight rack with a Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit in my hand. This year, as you can see, I’m drinking tea. That’s not a brag; I’m just making a point here. If I can take the first steps, anyone can!
Habits form from consistency, not from perfection... that’s the goal. Maybe I’ll be craving a biscuit on the way to work one day, and maybe I’ll cave and end up elbow deep in honey butter sauce at my desk. That’s where self-discipline comes in. But I want people to know they are not weak just because they have moments of weakness.
Hear me clearly on this: the bad habits you picked up at an early age don’t have to define you for the rest of your life. We will never become who we want to become by saying, “Oh well, this is who I am. I can’t change it now! This is just me.” I guarantee you the people you look up to and admire, who have achieved something incredible or conquered against all odds, didn’t simply settle for “this is just who I am.” They weren’t born conquerors. They worked through blood, sweat, and tears, saw past their circumstances, and rose above every “you can’t do this” and “you’ll never succeed.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be stuck throwing my entire paycheck into a drive-thru window. Fast food gives me temporary pleasure, only to wreak havoc on everything from my stomach to my brain afterwards. It’s a bad habit! But let’s be honest, I will never completely cut out fast food, and you don’t have to either! Taking the first step today is how GOOD habits begin. Even baby steps bring you closer to your goals and partial progress is STILL PROGRESS! Don’t let anyone (including yourself) tell you that you can’t do it. You’ve got a brand-new year ahead of you, and it is full of possibilities. So, buck up, get your mind right, and start saying “Yes!”
LOCAL EVENTS
January 1-7
Last chance to see 1968: A Folsom Redemption travelling road show photo collection
TRAHC Gallery 4th & Main
Daily 10 am-4 pm
January 7 & 8
Murphy’s Texarkana Gun Show
Holiday Inn Texarkana, Arkansas
9 am-4 pm
January 7
Travis Powell World Famous Elvis Tribute
The Perot Theatre, 7-10 pm
January 12
TRAHC and Theatre for Young Audiences presents Grace for President
Perot Theatre
January 16
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
Dunbar Elementary School (open to the public)
1-3 pm
January 17-March 25
TRAHC presents TAAC’s 21st Annual Regional Celebration of African American Artists Exhibit featuring Ernest C. Withers Collection, “Good Night, My Love”
TRAHC Gallery, 4th & Main
January 26
Clint Black in Concert
The Perot Theatre, 7:30-11 pm
January 27
Texarkana USA Regional Chamber of Commerce presents A Night of Jazz
Texarkana Texas Convention Center, 6 pm
LIVE MUSIC
January 13
Aces & 8’s
The Hideout, 9 pm
January 13
Chris Cagle
Crossties, 7 pm
January 21
Brain Panic
Hopkins, 9 pm.
January 27
Amber Violet
La Fogata Bar & Grill TXK, 7 pm
