For the last several years New Year’s Day has been my favorite holiday. Far eclipsing the “favorite days” of my youth, the older I’ve gotten the more I’ve valued the clean slate and fresh start symbolism of January 1st. The sight of a brand new calendar with no agendas makes me absolutely giddy. It’s all about the potential. Don’t be discouraged by the “X”s and arrows and eraser marks on the previous year’s months. Those days were handled, well or poorly, and your only responsibility to them moving forward is to learn from what worked or didn’t.
As much as I appreciate metaphors, I’m not making any resolutions for 2014. Resolutions are just opportunities to ladle passive aggression on ourselves and I don’t find them productive. Some folks can see them through, sure, but I think many of us too often get sidetracked and discouraged. So I say let’s just get through the next 12 months with a sense of humor and a hearty dose of patience with ourselves and the people around us. Walk more. Read more. Plant something green and watch it grow. Drink water. Pay attention. Be honest, even when it’s uncomfortable. Listen when someone’s talking to you. Let yourself unplug.
Now…to take my own advice.
So long 2013. Welcome 2014. Forward motion.