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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Managing Editor

No one wants to be the last one picked.

All of us non-athletic types have probably experienced this at one point or another.

Finding where we fit can be a challenge even in adult life. Sometimes it requires trying something new. Sometimes it requires hard work to keep relationships strong.

It is always easier when someone picks you.

When I look back at my friends in college, I feel like many of them picked me and welcomed me into their already existing group of friends.

It is a wonderful feeling to know that you are wanted as a part of the group.

Recently, the Central Alabama Performing Arts Guild created this feeling for many regional actors as they made a place for them in the radio production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Everyone who tried out (and even a few who did not) were given a part that the directors felt best suited their natural voice.

I was familiar with the opportunity. I had thought about trying out but did not. The directors knew I have done some things with acting in the past and asked me to be an extra voice for a crowd scene.

They invited me to be a part.

Each of us have the power to do this for someone else in 2021. Even if restrictions on in-person gatherings remain recommended, making someone feel included can be as simple as contacting them using a medium you know they will respond to. I have some friends that prefer Messenger, while some prefer a phone call.

When groups are together, we can look for ways to keep everyone in the conversation and a part of the activities.

Just smiling at someone that seems to be having a rough day can let them know they are not alone.

Being intentional about including others — what a New Year’s Resolution that would be.