When the clock struck midnight, wherever you were, whomever you were with, whether your were in a conscious state or not, you were still the same you that you were at 11:59.I think there can be a misperception that we are re-invented magically at the start of a new year. Like, the opposite of Cinderella. I don’t know how you woke up, but I woke up with the same forehead wrinkles, same blemishes, same body (height and weight), same scar on my knee.
Yes, January 1st meets criteria as “new” simply based on the resetting of our modern day calendars. Most importantly, It mark passage of time. And within that passage of time, situations and circumstances unfolded. Some of them were expected, some were unexpected, some were welcome, some were unwelcome. Some were refreshing and restorative. Some were gut-wrenching and soul-sucking. Just because the calendar re-set, doesn’t mean our lives do. Some of those situations and circumstances have long-lasting impact and consequences that will shape our future. If you had a baby this year, that will shape your years to come. If you lost a loved one this year, it changes your relationship to the past that held them and the future that carries their absence.
Please hear that there isn’t anything wrong with anticipation or excitement about the calendar changing. By all means, do make goals, do set intentions. create plans! But know the hidden danger that hype can create. As you look towards what will be and hope, do not erase or dismiss what came before. We must leave room to let the years teach us and inform us on how to move forward, how to make healthy, realistic, positive goals.
And know that you also don’t need to make January 1st anything more or less than what it needs to be for you.