It’s a strange custom: a night of decadence on New Year’s Eve, followed by penance – either a hangover or a chilly swim – and finally a promise of dieting, exercise and financial belt-tightening.
In January, after a month of over-indulgence, there seems to be no way to avoid the endless exhortations to make resolutions: to save money, get extra sleep, quit bad habits, eat better and exercise more.
These expectations are a tall order, so it’s no surprise most new year’s resolutions fail after just 15 days. It might be better to adopt a philosophy of self-improvement all year ’round.
Now that the party’s over, here are a few suggestions for enjoying the fresh new year that stretches out in front of us:
• Put grace before guerilla driving on the roads. Do you really need to be the third car through the red light on the left turn? Is riding the bumper of the car in front of you actually going to get you to your destination much faster than the rest of the moving herd? This year, do yourself and fellow motorists a favour and think twice before you hit the horn, wave thank you when appropriate, gesture that you’re sorry if you screw up, and if all else fails, smile.
• Cultivate mindfulness, grasshoppers. Pay attention to the burrito being wolfed down for lunch. Notice and appreciate the wildlife and green space in our urban enclaves. Make eye contact with strangers. Wrench your nose out of the commuter rag, ditch the ear pods and free your fingers from the iPhone. Take a look around and see your surroundings from a new vantage point.
Perhaps all that overdoing it at Christmas time and Dec. 31 is a way of making up for the stress and self-denial we subject ourselves to all year: the time crunches, work-family imbalance, perceived failures and ever-faster pace of daily life.
How about a revolution? Let’s try to enjoy the warmth and light-heartedness of the holidays throughout 2011.
–Black Press