A schmaltzy, feel-good thing came over the Internet this week. I printed and saved it because sometimes feel-good schmaltz is nice, a kind of flannel for the heart, soft and warm and comforting.

It's a long piece, however, three typed pages, so this is just a sample. The theme is "I've learned." "I've learned - "That no matter how much I care some people just don't care back. That it takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it. "I've learned - "That it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts." I got to thinking that I've learned a few things too. Some not so soft, but warm still, and useful, rather like an itchy wool scarf.

Getting back on the horse. Buckling up and down. The party's over, the holidays are past. The lights are packed in boxes, the tree's in the trash, the presents put away, the cookies eaten, the chocolates from Hilliard's mercifully gone.It's time to swear off junk food and…