I confess that I don’t think of New Year’s Eve as a religious holiday. If you do, I am glad for your spiritual insight. I suppose I could think of it like we do of birthdays. As a child, I was always a bit baffled when someone asked, “Do you feel any different being a year older?” I could hear an expectation in the question which I could not answer. I knew a response was expected but as an honest kid, I really didn’t feel any different or older then I did the day before.
I realize the hope inherent in the idea that this is a new year full of possibilities. Maybe the failures of the past year will yield to new triumphs in the new year. However, having started many diet and exercise programs that did not last past the first week in February, I am not overly confident that this coming year will bring perfect solutions. Perhaps the problem is exaggerated expectations. Rather than a lengthy list of New Year’s resolutions, I am more included to say, “Let’s see how this new year works out.”
My optimism gets in the way of my more realistic thinking. Would it be better to choose a small change that we could wholly commit to for the coming year? A young mother was trying to calm her toddler who was having a major meltdown. Another shopper heard her quietly say in a calm voice, “Jennifer, we don’t need to yell, inside voices, just relax, it’s alright.” The stranger commented on how well the mother was calming her daughter Jennifer. “But I’m Jennifer,” the young woman replied. Maybe for this year, I’ll just resolve to be a bit more patient and calm “Jennifer” down.