Those who know me are not surprised to learn that I’m not a runner. Back in my childhood, the 50-yard dash in junior high school was enough to substantiate running was not my forte. As an adult, I’ve never had an insatiable desire to be a runner. The thought of running a marathon has absolutely no appeal for me. Don’t get me wrong, I have a healthy respect for folks who are dedicated to the art of running, but I’m like a fish out of water with the concept.
The bottom line is this: “I have no frame of reference to know what it feels like to cross the finish line.” Perhaps that’s where the excitement associated to bringing in the New Year stems from? It may be an over-simplification, but watching one year turn into the next seems a little like crossing the finish line. You don’t have to do a lot to make that happen, but it isn’t a privilege or entitlement that any of us are guaranteed.
I am not talking about being present in Times Square when the ball drops at midnight later today. Pardon the pun, but it will “be a very cold night in New York City” and I am not particularly fond of cold weather. Consequently, being in Time Square to ring in the New Year is not on my bucket list of things I want to do.
I’m not even talking about the importance of staying awake wherever you are to cognitively be alert as the dateline turns from 2018 to 2019. I’m simply talking about the privilege of waking up to find you went to sleep in 2018 and woke up in calendar year 2019. In many respects, that is like crossing the finish line.
I don’t know, maybe there is something incredibly satisfying about starting with a clean slate and beginning again? Whether it is a new year, a new semester at school, a new job, or a new this or that, it all represents a new beginning. It is like starting over with a myriad of options to do things differently.
Isn’t a fresh start what the New Year represents? I like the concept of out with the old and in with the new. It is sort of like hitting the reset button with new goals and a new timeline to make it all happen.
You can probably tell by looking that I’m three days older than dirt. Do you have any idea how many New Year’s resolutions I’ve made in the course of my lifetime? Do you have any idea how many New Year’s resolutions I didn’t keep (or couldn’t keep)? Sadly, year after year, I have a tendency toward magical thinking and I start the process all over again. It never works.
Seriously, the resolve to shy away from fast food and eat healthier is a lofty goal. Who could you fault you for adding that to a list of New Year’s resolutions? We forget about the importance of comfort food. I don’t go to Whataburger because it is fast. I don’t even go to Whataburger because it is inexpensive. I go to Whataburger because it represents comfort food. Sometimes you just need a Whataburger with cheese, fries and a large chocolate shake. I don’t care how old you are. It happens. My oldest granddaughter is only fifteen, but she will validate for you that what I’m saying is true.
One year I was even bold enough to resolve that I wasn’t going to do anything stupid. Do you care to guess how long that one lasted? I actually regret mentioning that one. I’d hate to get the General started. She knows stupid when she sees it and it usually has some relationship to me.
It probably wouldn’t take a lot of effort for all of us to come up with a list of New Year’s Resolutions. I suspect that my list would probably look a lot like your list. All of us generally want to change something and we write it down to give us a jump start into the New Year.
What we fail to realize is that change is difficult. Sometimes I walk through the self-help section of Barnes and Noble and glance at the titles and thumb through the index. I am amazed at how much effort is devoted to identifying the steps associated to change.
What does the future hold? We are headed into 2019 with approximately 25% of the government unfunded and reportedly there is no end in sight for the layoff. For many of us, 2019 represents uncertainty. Time Magazine’s “2018 Person Of The Year are four journalist and a newspaper. Time magazine chose “The Guardians and the War on Truth” as its Person of the Year honorees. The rationale behind their choice is an effort to emphasize the importance of reporters’ work in an increasingly hostile world.
Seriously, who can argue that ours is a troubled and angry world. In his book written well over fifty years ago, Billy Graham said this: “Our world is on fire, and man without God will never be able to control the flames. The demons of hell have been let loose. The fires of passion, greed, hate, and lust are sweeping the world. We seem to be plunging madly toward Armageddon”.
Perhaps the biggest challenge we collectively and individually face as 2018 draws to a close and 2019 begins is the management of anger and eradication of the destruction it promotes. Anger, like sour dough bread, just takes a starter and it sweeps like wildfire. Evidence of the destructive force surfaces in broken relationships, dysfunctional families, road rage, domestic and workplace violence and an overall absence of a sense of peace. The unresolved quagmire in government is simply one example of anger left unchecked. Our world is filled with a lack of civility and respect. It has become the new norm and we will not survive the destructive impact until we manage to quell the storm within.
I like the line from the song crafted by Jill Jackson / Sy Miller that states: “Let there be peace on earth And let it begin in me Let there be peace on earth The peace that was meant to be With God as our father Brothers all are we Let me walk with my brother In perfect harmony Let peace begin with me…”
If you really want to cross the finish line, embrace 2019 with a sense of inner peace and a resolve to let nothing interfere with the peace within. Otherwise, 2019 represents nothing new, only a continuation of the same.
All My Best!
Don