Little things matter — but big ones, too — all year long

No matter what time you wake up on this first day of January, it’s 2019.

Greet the new year. Poke your head out from the covers. Make some coffee. Hug someone important in your life.

Now there are plenty of reasons besides the eve’s festivities for why you might feel a little woozy. You survived 2018, which turned out to be a doozy. But America is looking at a very uncertain new year, and all’s not exactly calm in the rest of the world, either.

Economic experts predict a coming downturn in the economy, affecting jobs, housing and pocketbooks. And that will ripple into every other choice you have to make.

Facebook and other social media outlets are proving themselves far from a refuge. They are stripping privacy bare.

The 2020 presidential campaign will blossom in 2019. Meanwhile, special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of the previous presidential campaign continues.

Britain remains trapped in Brexit. Strongmen leaders helm nations from Turkey to Brazil, and violence continues in the Middle East as the United States prepares to pull troops from Syria and Afghanistan.

Every year past and every year coming contains a mix of sweet and sour. Celebrate the things that make you whole.

As always, this is a time for resolutions. Family and friends should be central in our lives; community involvement always brings rewards.

Do a values check. Will the items at the top of your list give you a sense of mission? Is being more compassionate and understanding high on that list? Will you try to be a better listener?

Embrace practices that will center you in the face of a foreboding world and make you more resilient in dealing with the inevitable setbacks. Be resolved to take a risk and try something new.

Those little things really matter, because they will improve your overall forecast for 2019. Make the year your own. — The editorial board