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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Wednesday The big what-if: Drilling under Rogue River comes with risks Donations still needed for ACCESS Food for Hope Get Up & Go: Dec. 31 Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing No one injured as fire torches patio at Medford apartment OSP traffic stop nets 14 pounds of methamphetamine UPDATED: More vehicles stolen from Medford driveways as they idle Politics and Elections State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change GMO labeling votes recounted under careful watch in Jackson County Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Dam problems force early fish transfer into Willamette Valley lakes Portland mattress stowaway cat back home Oregon missionary deported back to U.S. faces molestation charges Poverty rate in Oregon schools jumps since 2007 Northwest poultry producers fear bird flu outbreak may hurt exports Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Leonard Lyle Roberts Death Notices Sidney A. Stitt Edward James Kelly Dean Seaney Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories South drops tourney finale to Chaminade Aldridge comes back strong in Blazers win Balanced Beavers knock off Santa Barbara Stanford dominates Maryland in Foster Farm Bryant's triple-double carries Lakers Varsity 541 College Sports Balanced Beavers knock off Santa Barbara Stanford dominates Maryland in Foster Farm Gutches places sixth at Midlands No. 3 Virginia pulls away from Davidson Rousing reception for Harbaugh in Michigan return Pro Sports Aldridge comes back strong in Blazers win Bryant's triple-double carries Lakers Lions’ Suh cleared top play Sunday Giants' Bumgarner chosen top male athlete Plumlee leads Nets past Kings Community Sports Business Latest Stories Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Milken economist headlines Southern Oregon Business Conference Ride & Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Silvio Calabi: Infiniti Q50 offers business-class driving Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate More sales, but no change in residential housing median price People In Business People in Business, Dec. 3 Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Opinion Latest Matthew T. Mangino: Judges lament ‘Prosecution by PowerPoint’ Jim Brock: You don't have to take it anymore Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Kathleen Parker: The joke's on us Editorials Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Other Views: Oregon incomes still lag behind Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Other Views: Roseburg VA director sets the right goals Our View: Thanks to four departing leaders Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 28 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 26 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Lifestyle Latest stories Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health Mark L. Hopkins: New Year’s resolutions and more HealthStyle: New year, new you Food Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Home and Garden Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Health Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Dr. Murray Feingold: Have a happy and stress-free holiday Hiking Biking Faith (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Fans, friends and family welcome home victorious SOU team at airport Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer Top 10 CDs of 2014 Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory Theater Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning Music Top 10 CDs of 2014 A tribute to Joe Cocker Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you SugarBeats headline an all-ages dance party at Historic Ashland Armory In the Pocket releases 'I Got News' Community Events Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dance to the Southern Oregon Jazz Orchestra Dining Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Ooblies Artisan Waffle Sandwiches Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW The big what-if: Drilling under Rogue River comes with risks ... Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait ... Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing ... The big what-if: Drilling under Rogue River comes with risks ... Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait ... Fire reported twice at Eastwood home; second call was real thing ... Mark L. Hopkins: New Year's resolutions and more Comment By Mark L. Hopkins More Content Now MailTribune.com By Mark L. Hopkins More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:09 am By Mark L. Hopkins More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:09 am » Social News The prospect of writing New Year’s resolutions reminds me of a column I read by a writer named Marilyn Schwartz. She reported that a lady planning a dinner party put out an invitation to her guest list, all women, telling them they were to bring a covered dish and their obituaries. Obviously, she was planning a very interesting activity for the evening as each shared what they planned and hoped for their lives. One woman wrote that her first husband was a lottery winner who died under mysterious circumstances and that she passed peacefully away in her sleep at the age of 97. Another woman wrote that she had been a finalist for the Nobel Peace Prize and would be awarded a posthumous Tony for a recent role on Broadway. Her longtime companion Robert Redford would be accepting the award for her. The women “died” as sex-goddesses and bungee jumpers. They were rich, daring and adventurous. The dinner party was for fun, of course, and the guests played it for laughs. Having worked at a college for most of my professional career, I have talked to many students about their futures. When you ask a student to picture themselves 20 years down the road, they usually say they can envision themselves with “a nice job, a nice family, and a nice house.” They think they’re projecting their future when, in fact, they are merely dreaming. Of course, the ladies at the party were dreaming too, but they knew they were dreaming. When we write resolutions we tend to think of job, money, weight loss and things that fit into the societal competition mode. However, if you ask your children or your spouse to write a list of resolutions for you, they probably won’t mention your job or talk about money at all. They’ll talk about of having more of your time, feeling more loved and seeing you happier. Accomplishments, successes, and positions in organizations are not important to those who love you. They are more interested in happiness, friendships and your relationship with them. So how does one separate the “resolution” from the “obituary”? It’s easy. One is what you intend to do, and the other is what you did. The point, of course, is that writing what one intends to do is not nearly as important as writing what one did. Can one write their own obituary? Actually, we really can. To write the best obituary for ourselves, we need to start living the way we really want to be remembered. What we do may not come out on the obituary page in the newspapers when we are gone but it certainly will be written in the memories of those close to us. Now, where is that paper and pen. Dr. Mark L. Hopkins writes for More Content Now and Scripps Newspapers. He is past president of colleges and universities in four states and currently serves as executive director of a higher-education consulting service. Contact him at [email protected]. By Mark L. Hopkins More Content Now MailTribune.com By Mark L. 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