I have spent the past couple of weeks talking to people about what 2010 will bring to this community.

I spoke to individuals on New Year’s Day, I spoke to businesses and I spoke to our area school entities. From everything I heard, I now have high hopes for Surry County in the coming year.

As one person I spoke to put it, it can only go up from here, right? There is a general sense of optimism and excitement about this year, whether it is because of new initiatives in the schools or the fact that the economy may be on the rise, meaning a better year for area businesses and their employees.

I know everyone is probably tired of hearing about resolutions and the respective pros and cons of making them. I also know that of those who actually made a resolution, very few will keep them. However, this is not meant to tell you to run out and make a resolution. It is meant to tell you to simply have a positive outlook for the coming year.

It is a time for new beginnings and new adventures. Instead of resolving to do something, just go out and do it. Get that new hair cut, quit smoking, join a gym or take that road trip you have always longed to take. We should not need a new year to make a change or follow a new path. We should be able to do that whenever we choose.

However, for many of us, making that change is just a little too frightening. Maybe we need that extra push to make the leap. And for that reason, the start of a new year provides the perfect opportunity.

A new year does not mean that we should make a drastic change. It can be something as small as wearing a more colorful wardrobe. The point is, sometimes a change is exactly what we need to turn over a new leaf.

Morgan Wall is a staff reporter for The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at mwall@mtairynews.com or 719-1929.