With roughly three days left of this year, the time to complete your 2015 resolutions is quickly dwindling. Maybe it was the old standbys of losing weight, or to quit smoking, both probably difficult so accomplish in the remaining days of the year. Plus, it is time to let go of the regrets and mistakes of the past and look to the future as we make 2016’s resolutions.
This is arguably the most optimistic time of the year. There is so much promise and excitement with the possibilities of starting fresh. So many view the changing of the year as a way to begin again. How lucky it is to get a fresh start every 365 (or in 2016, 366) days. There is such hope at this time, hope to improve oneself and/or the world around us.
This is the time for universal introspection. Our lives move at such a quick pace (especially when relying on your fast and efficient Carmel ride to get you where you need to be) that we do not get much time to look within ourselves. Self-improvement is generally lower on the list of life’s priorities. New Years is the perfect time to assess our lives and our internal well-being.
New Years is a prime occasion to take time and think about what we hope for our lives and the lives of our fellow men. Our hopes can be as simple and complex as humans themselves. Some hopes are tangible, like the hope to lead a healthier life without cigarettes, or abstract and subjective, like to be more patient or cheerful. What people resolve to be is fairly indicative of what we feel we lack in ourselves.
Yet, as well meaning as these hopes are, it does take resolve to accomplish them. And on December 31st, it all feels possible, like our hopes and dreams are all achievable within the next year. The new year is untainted and full of possibilities. We toast to these resolutions and possibilities, there is very little feeling of dread when the clock strikes midnight and ushers in the next fresh start. There is much to celebrate when the new year begins.
Optimism is difficult to maintain, especially in the current political and economical climate within the world, not to mention the actual climate, which has brought distressing and erratic changes. But this holiday that is almost universally celebrated brings our collective consciousness together to look forward and hope. While our hopes will very, the idea is still the same. We hope for a better year, a better month, a better day, and a better tomorrow.
Carmel is here to carry you and your hopes wherever your New Years Eve takes you. We hope that the optimism for 2016 stays with you all year, as Anne Frank noted “Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”