On one hand, the new year is completely arbitrary. A farce. The calendar is manufactured by man, just a way for us to keep track of things, to force order and organization onto our random lives.

On the other hand, we grow up thinking of time in this very particular way. It becomes real by virtue of our believing in it, obeying it, structuring our days around it.

On one hand, new year resolutions are silly. If we want to improve, why wait till Jan 1? Why not start right now, this very instant, no matter what day or month it is?

On the other hand, there’s something to be said for a fresh start, a clean slate. Something to be said for using those numbers and boxes to create a schedule, a plan. Something to be said for being part of a larger group — a community of sorts — all of us striving to improve in some way.

I go back and forth (obviously) on resolutions. Some years I make them, some years I don’t. This year, I’m not laying out any concrete, specific goals, but I AM focusing on a theme.

What exactly that theme should be, I haven’t decided yet. But the idea is for it to be something that can trickle down through all my actions, in all aspects of my life.

A few possibilities:

In an ideal world, I’d do all of these, all the time. But I’m human, and these things don’t come naturally to me, so I’ve got to tackle them one at a time. Build them up until they are ingrained habits. Then move on to the next.

So that’s what I’ve been thinking about as I reflect on the year past and set expectations for the year to come. What about you?

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