[LJ Idol] Thoughts on the New Year
At dinner on Christmas Eve, the standard question came up: "Does anyone have any New Year's Resolutions?"
Across the table, my cousin's lip curled. "I don't understand why people make those. What's so special about the new year? If you want to do something, do it now!"
"Some people need the extra incentive," my mother told her.
"But they shouldn't," she insisted. "I don't get it. It's dumb."
In some ways, I know what she means. There's no cosmic significance to January 1, 2011 that makes it any different from December 28th, 2010. It's just another day. There's no reason to wait until the clock rolls over.
While that may be true, so is this: January 1st does have significance. Not in the grand cosmic scheme of the universe, but to us. To someone like me, at least, it means something. I like that we divide up the time we spend in this world into days, weeks, months, years, and so on. I like the built-in beginnings and endings that come with those divisions. They have weight, to me. I like standing at the end of a year and looking back -- looking at the good and the bad, reflecting on opportunities taken and lost, contemplating the lessons learned. I like standing at the beginning of a year and looking ahead. What do I want out of this year? Where do I want to go, what do I want to accomplish, who do I want to be?
That reflection, contemplation, and planning can be done at any time of year, of course, which I think is my cousin's point. Any day can be a beginning or an ending. Any day can be -- but how many are? To make a day more than just a day, most of us need some kind of push. Sometimes it's a major life event, like graduating from college or losing a job. For some people, a birthday provides the nudge. For me, it's the turn of the calendar year -- and obviously I'm far from alone in that.
I'm looking forward to 2011. I have resolutions -- I can't resist making lists, plans, goals. I have ideas of what I want to accomplish, and bright anticipation for the future that can't be predicted. I have hope. For me, that's what celebrating the new year is about.
For all of my family, friends, acquaintances, and fellow people, a wish: have a happy, healthy, and safe new year.
Across the table, my cousin's lip curled. "I don't understand why people make those. What's so special about the new year? If you want to do something, do it now!"
"Some people need the extra incentive," my mother told her.
"But they shouldn't," she insisted. "I don't get it. It's dumb."
In some ways, I know what she means. There's no cosmic significance to January 1, 2011 that makes it any different from December 28th, 2010. It's just another day. There's no reason to wait until the clock rolls over.
While that may be true, so is this: January 1st does have significance. Not in the grand cosmic scheme of the universe, but to us. To someone like me, at least, it means something. I like that we divide up the time we spend in this world into days, weeks, months, years, and so on. I like the built-in beginnings and endings that come with those divisions. They have weight, to me. I like standing at the end of a year and looking back -- looking at the good and the bad, reflecting on opportunities taken and lost, contemplating the lessons learned. I like standing at the beginning of a year and looking ahead. What do I want out of this year? Where do I want to go, what do I want to accomplish, who do I want to be?
That reflection, contemplation, and planning can be done at any time of year, of course, which I think is my cousin's point. Any day can be a beginning or an ending. Any day can be -- but how many are? To make a day more than just a day, most of us need some kind of push. Sometimes it's a major life event, like graduating from college or losing a job. For some people, a birthday provides the nudge. For me, it's the turn of the calendar year -- and obviously I'm far from alone in that.
I'm looking forward to 2011. I have resolutions -- I can't resist making lists, plans, goals. I have ideas of what I want to accomplish, and bright anticipation for the future that can't be predicted. I have hope. For me, that's what celebrating the new year is about.
For all of my family, friends, acquaintances, and fellow people, a wish: have a happy, healthy, and safe new year.