If you were in one of our SC vacation rentals over the New Year’s holiday and you decided to take a polar plunge, God bless you.  It was a chilly one indeed. The beginning of a new year always seems to send us into reflection mode.  You tend to take stock of where we’ve been and ponder changes to make the coming year an even better one. If you’re here now staying in one of our rental homes South Carolina, be it a luxury house on Isle of Palms or a Folly Beach house Charleston, good going!  Relaxing in a Charleston beach house is a fantastic way to kick off a new year and destress. Resolutions have a notoriously low success rate, although they are a boon to fitness club membership salespeople.  Instead of focusing on a single, tangible goal, it may be the best way to approach a new year is with a slight shift in how you view things… like your day.

Your new year’s new bank account

The following came across my desk a while back from Greg Laurie, a guy out in California who has a lot of wisdom. It really spoke to me, and I thought I’d share it here…

Let's say that one day your phone rang and it was the president of the bank that you use. He told you that an anonymous donor who loved you very much had decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your bank account each and every morning.  At first, maybe that didn't seem like a lot. But then you figured out that it was $864 a day.  At seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, those pennies add up to almost $315,000 each year!  But the bank president added one thing: "The anonymous giver said you must spend all of the money on the day you receive it!  No balance will be carried over to the next day. Each evening the bank must cancel whatever sum you failed to use!  Remember, what you don't spend is lost."

That may sound like fantasy, but here's the reality: Every morning, someone who loves you very much deposits into your "bank of time" 86,400 seconds, which represent 1,440 minutes, which of course equals 24 hours each and every day. He gives you that much to use each day. Nothing is ever carried over on credit to the next day. There is no such thing as a 27-hour day.  It's called time, and you can't escape it. Time is ticking away right now. The Bible tells us to "redeem the time"—to make sacred and wise use of every opportunity.

Make those minutes count. It’s true.  Your time is a very valuable asset.  Just ask people who have very little of it left.

Some healthy advice, whether you're in one of our SC vacation rentals or not

This is the time when you break out the new calendars and think about starting new good habits.  Resolutions have such a low success rate that I resist talking about them.  Unless, of course, your resolution for the new year is something along these lines:  “I resolve to spend more time with friends and family.  The best place I can think of is a getaway in one of those lovely Isle of Palms vacation rentals.  I’m going to contact EP soon about their portfolio of SC vacation rentals.  I’ll book one of their beach rentals Charleston early so I’ll get my choice of the perfect one!” Isle of Palms luxury rentals aside, there are certain easy things one can do to improve your general quality of life.  There is a local wellness expert here in Charleston, Dr. Ann Kulze, a respected author and teacher of seminars who is dedicated to improving the lives of others.  I receive her newsletters, and they are filled with practical, healthy advice.  They are less resolutions than healthy tips and good ideas. We all have to eat.  Her ideas help turn the daily activity of eating into a force for good health.  In many cases, by eating better food, you can avoid the need for medicine. Here is her latest installment, which has ten simple suggestions for a healthier new year (or the rest of your life) ahead… The New Year offers a sensational opportunity to harness the unrivaled goodness and power of healthy living. Here are 10 easy, delicious and totally-doable New Year's resolutions that come with a science-backed guarantee to guard and improve your health and vitality.

1. Enjoy a handful (about 1 ounce) of any variety of nuts (raw or roasted) each day.
2. Incorporate some form of dark leafy greens (raw or cooked) into your diet each day. Salads are perfect for this.
3. Substitute 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat bread products for their white, refined counterparts.
4. Consume a serving of any variety of beans (canned are fine) at least 4 times a week.
5. Within every hour that you have to sit, incorporate at least 2 minutes of light activity like standing up to walk to the restroom.
6. Enjoy a prudent portion of dark chocolate (up to 1 ounce) as your dessert or treat of choice.
7. Include at least 3 servings of oily fish like salmon (wild is the best) in your diet each week. Canned salmon and frozen salmon burgers make this a cinch. 
8. Plate every morsel of food you intend to eat (including snacks) and look at it before you let it cross your lips.
9. Adopt the attitude that sleep is sacred in your life and strive to adhere to a stable sleep and wake schedule.
10. Seek the inspiration, motivation, and perseverance to stick to your New Year's resolutions or any healthy living changes you may otherwise make from the very best source-the things that give your life meaning and purpose.

Holiday recycling near our SC vacation rentals

Holiday recycling near our SC vacation rentals

Lastly, Charleston County just released a couple holiday recycling tips.  If you happen to have a live Christmas tree, you can put it out next to the garbage cans, and they will pick it up to be composted.  Just be sure to remove all ornaments, lights and tinsels first.  Alternatively, you can take it to the landfill at 1344 Bees Ferry Road between now and January 8th, and not only will they compost your tree, but they’ll also give you a free bag of compost. If you have a string of burned out lights, you can put those into the blue recycling bin along with wrapping paper and gift boxes.  This is good to know, because those little mini lights sure don’t last like they used to.  I know they are trying to get us to switch to LED lights, but they are so expensive.  Plus they just don’t have the warm glow the old ones have.  It’s good to know they are recyclable, though. If you have cardboard boxes left over from the holidays, you can flatten them and also put them in the blue cart.  If they won’t fit, just stack them next to the cart and they’ll pick them up to be recycled. Also, now’s the time of year when you see all those little Styrofoam peanuts blowing around, left over from all those packing boxes.  Unfortunately they are not recyclable in the blue carts.  There’s actually a “Peanut Hotline” you can call that’ll tell you where you can take unwanted Styrofoam peanuts and blocks.  It’s 1-800-828-2214.  Also, many Pak Mail stores will accept and reuse them. So use your many minutes of 2018 wisely.  If you’re planning on staying in one of our beach house rentals Charleston SC, call early for the best selection.  EP has the nicest luxury beach house rentals SC, but they book up fast. All best, Lowcountry Lisa your Isle of Palms vacation blogger