When I take the time to sit and stare out my window of this cold
January day, looking at the different ways in which the snow has landed either
onto the ground or parts the cedar bushes that surround my house, my thoughts
drift. I wonder why it is that during that one night of the year a few weeks
ago, as the calendar changes, making a resolution seems to be a compulsion for
so many. I wonder how many are turned into an accomplishment and how many
become broken.
When I reflect upon the past days and months and what I have
gotten done, whether it be work related or of a more personal nature, I
conclude that most of my resolves were not made at the end of the year and
start of a new one. Things come up, things need to get done. I plan and do as
is necessary… I don’t look at the clock or set my schedule to fall on a certain
date.
It has been quite some time since I have made a vow in
respect to and before the midnight hour on the eve of when old things come to
an end and new ones begin. It is not as though I think of these resolutions as
a waste of time, and I still like to hear what others plan, but, I don’t know…
I don’t quite understand. It almost seems like it is just a big set-up during a
time when too much pressure is surrounding the moment.
But when twelve o’clock came and went this new year’s eve/day,
saying goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017, after spending a great night with my
family laughing, dancing and singing, my mind came to a thought as it does now.
When it comes to the New Year’s Resolution, maybe the key word is not “Resolution”,
but instead it is “New”.
It is about starting another BEGINNING.
It is about rising to a CHALLENGE.
But most importantly, I think it is about HOPE.
We all need hope. So whether a resolution is kept,
accomplished, or broken, it is about something new. It is about hope and moving
forward.
And that… that’s not a bad compulsion.
