Being more of an early bird than a night owl I struggle with New Year’s Eve. When people ask me how I will be celebrating I often evade the question by muttering something non-committal. In truth I’ll be turning in early and hoping I don’t get woken up by fireworks. “It’s just a day.” Who was it that said that? Was it my Dad (it’s the sort of thing he’d say) or do lots of people say it? The exact seconds that divide the old year from the new surely are arbitrary. I don’t begrudge people celebrating, it’s just I’m done with the guilt I used to feel for not making a big deal of it.
Earlier this year I got some good advice. “Don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Save your big changes for the spring.” I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, the rationale being that January the 1st is a terrible time to make alterations to your life and your routines. The days are dark and cold, Christmas has just exhausted us emotionally, physically and financially and worst of all personal and societal pressure to improve is at its height. We are destined to fail and then feel terrible about it. Why do we do it to ourselves? Because we like nice round numbers, I suppose (though I’ve always thought 1/1 was kind of spikey).
For convenience and conformity I shall acknowledge today as the birth of 2015 but this is not my new year. Today I shall start to wind down the old year readying myself for the spring. Between now and Easter is my grace period. I shall ease myself in gently, gradually letting go of the old. When the weather warms up and the time for change feels more natural I shall burst into life in whatever way I choose.
In a sense I suppose this is a resolution: A decision to properly resolve the past 12 months before starting afresh. And here’s me wishing you the best with yours, however it suits you.