December 31, 2019
While NolaBoomers.com is under construction, our articles can be found here on our sister site, Nola Family.
New year, new you, right? That old cliche of New Year’s resolutions and starting anew is so worn and tired that I don’t even kid myself with setting some contrived goal for a better me anymore — mostly because I know I won’t stick to it, and because, king cakes.
For me, a new year reminds me that king cake season is coming. It’s hard to make healthy decisions when I live within walking distance Haydel’s Bakery, which happens to make my favorite king cake — and for me, the epitome of what a king cake is supposed to look and taste like. Maurice’s stuffed Ponchatoula king cakes come in a close second. I have no will power.
I mean, I can set a resolution anytime I want — Easter, July 4th, Columbus Day, next Tuesday.
Public Service Announcement: I just learned that many bakeries sell king cakes all year long.
Firstly, why? King cake is special because it’s delicious, yes, but also because it’s only available for a short, specific time of year — or should be. Secondly, now I know I can get king cake whenever I want. WHENEVER I WANT, for king cake baby’s sake.
Now back to resolutions. I do see the benefit of setting a New Year’s resolution, however. The beginning of a new year is a natural starting point and a good marker for planning the endgame, the final of which a goal should be met. Thankfully, for those that do set New Year’s resolutions, Nola Boomers is here to help you along. The theme that guided this issue is “Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise.”
For healthy, we highlighted Eat. Fit., a partnership between Molly Kimball and local restaurants that takes the guessing out of eating healthy and eating out (including a healthier king cake option). Features on how to plan for retirement and your funeral checks off the wealthy box. And our cover story on two local artists, Gretchen Weller Howard and Cheryl Gerber, highlights how they found wisdom through creativity and aging.
Stay healthy, wealthy, and wise — unless you love king cake. In that case, have your cake and eat it too.
Tim Meyer