The Resoulution

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.