I’m not a fan of the holiday season. Not because I’m a hater of Christmas or the season. When I was younger, I loved the holiday season – from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day. I enjoyed going to and hosting parties, attending the various annual events and driving around looking at the Christmas lights. And then life’s idiosyncrasies started to pile up. Too many losses and disappointments. It wasn’t long before the holidays became a time to be endured instead of enjoyed. The stress of the season became overwhelming which happens to many adults. Nothing special in my circumstances. And the season ends with New Year’s where we are supposed to celebrate the start of a new year with a toast and resolutions. Resolutions where we vow to be a better person or try something new or justify whatever change it is we think we need to make to ourselves or our lives. I don’t like resolutions. It just seems as if it’s a setup for failure. Just another way that we decided to put pressure on ourselves.
I prefer to have goals. Goals that stay fluid and are not tied to a start date of the first of the year. Goals can be set for any day, week, month or year. Small goals where I try to limit my Dr. Pepper consumption to one a day. Or bigger goals related to long term career changes. Goals can run the gamut. And goals can change on an as needed basis as life happens. Resolutions seem to be more fixed. And there’s almost an expectation that they won’t be kept. Gym memberships have become the joke of resolutions. Membership spikes in January and by May it’s a punchline. Resolutions appear to have a higher expectation of failure. Goals on the other hand are meant to be achieved. It may just be semantics. And if that’s the case, I think I can live with my hypocrisy. No resolutions for me!
New Year’s means different things to different people. For some it’s a time to reminisce and contemplate life. For others it’s a time to celebrate and for other it’s a time to start anew. I read an article in the Washington Post which made me think about things a little differently. It was a reminder that, for some, the season is about hope and new possibilities. And not always because it’s wanted. In some cases, it is thrust upon the individual. The wildfires in California forced people to start anew after their homes burned down. For others the loss of a job or loved one forces the change. To be honest, it never occurred to me that the Christmas season could be one of hope. Shame on me for forgetting something so essential.
It’s easy to get caught up in what is missing in our lives that we forget about everything we have. We focus on fixing the negative and lose sight on celebrating the positive. We take what we have for granted. That’s how we lose hope. Like most, I needed to be reminded. Reminded that I’m blessed for those people who choose to be a part of my life. Reminded that I’m blessed to have the things that I have. And that the new year is not about looking backwards. Live in the present and look to the future.
Trite and sappy aside, there’s more to just stating that possibilities exist. A person has to actually do something with them. Without action, talk of possibilities is just that, talk. And being the over dramatic human beings that we are, we also tend to believe that it has to be a big action. It doesn’t. No action is too small or too insignificant. How can it be? Nothing to one person may be something to another. So while you do nothing, I’ll do something. Or maybe that’s vice versa…
Here’s to the new year and new possibilities.
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Is it just me, or does anyone else think it’s strange that everyone seems to be against self driving cars? I saw a news blip where people were caught throwing rocks at the self driving cars being tested in their town. Rocks? I’m not overly fond of the idea of a vehicle that drives itself either, because I like to drive but it never crossed my mind to pick up a rock. Somehow I don’t think that’s the best weapon against unwelcome tech advances.
Netflix recommendation – “The Kominsky Method”. Acting greats Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin are fantastic in this comedy that focuses on an aging actor turned teacher and his agent. The writing is smart and funny. Two things that I always look for in a television show. The fact that the critics seem to like it and it’s won a few awards should not be a deterrent to watching.
And can I just say that “Aquaman” made a great Christmas movie. It came very close to replacing “Die Hard” in my lexicon of holiday movies. I can hear the purists claiming neither of those movies are Christmas movies. And while I concede that “Aquaman” is a stretch (basically it just takes place in winter), I will argue to my grave that “Die Hard” is an essential Christmas movie. The season itself is central to the story line.
