Erin T. Bird

My friends and family know I am a fan of college wrestling. So it was a joy to get to watch the Wartburg Wrestling team in person at Regionals in Dubuque at the end of February. If you have never been, Regionals is a pretty intense environment. The whole goal of Regionals is to qualify for the National Tournament. But to qualify, a wrestler must place in the Top 3 (out of 17 guys) in their weight class.

Maybe you are like me—so busy that when someone invites you to an event, your first inclination is to decline. (Last thing you need is another event on the calendar!) But imagine for just a moment no one invited you to anything ever again. Can you envision how you’d feel when you hear about a group of friends going out for dinner together, yet you weren’t included in the group text?

Welcome to the end of Week #1 of 2026. How is that New Year’s Resolution going? If you actually made a resolution this year, you might be surprised to find you are in the minority. According to Pew Research, only 30% of Americans make a New Year’s Resolution. And of those who do make one, almost 25% will give up after just one week and nearly 40% will fall off the bandwagon within a month. I see this every year at The W where I swim three days a week.