2008 Woodie Awards
Make promises, resolutions anytime of the year
Tomi Parrish
Issue date: 1/16/07 Section: Viewpoints
- Page 1 of 1
Cliche, to my mind, best describes the new year hoopla.
Think about it. Before we even celebrate New Year's Day, we are bombarded by messages that compel us to make New Year's resolutions, to clean out our closets, to examine ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually, and to basically just "begin again."
We eat black-eyed peas and "hog jaw" (bacon at my house) to honor a Southern New Year's tradition so we may have good luck during the year. We light candles on New Year's Eve and reflect on the old year as we welcome the new one, or we attend parties with others celebrating the new year.
We might watch the ball drop in Times Square, along with celebrations from around the world.
I did most of the above in the weeks before and after New Year's Day. Not that I regret following the traditions, but I wonder if most of us ever really consider the true meaning of renewal, or "beginning again." For example, if I resolve to be a better mom or a better teacher, then I am committing myself to real change. In other words, resolutions mean nothing without the will to follow through instead of falling back into old habits and patterns.
The new year, the idea that renewal should be tied to some date, also strikes me as merely convenient. If we seriously plan to enact change in our lives, then does it matter whether we do it on Jan. 1 or July 1, or Sept. 9? No. New Year's Day is, after all, just a day, and any day is good for renewal.
Today is Jan. 16, the beginning of a new semester. Resolve to study, to make the best of your time here. I will resolve to be a better teacher and a better person.
After all, we don't have to be cliches.
Think about it. Before we even celebrate New Year's Day, we are bombarded by messages that compel us to make New Year's resolutions, to clean out our closets, to examine ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually, and to basically just "begin again."
We eat black-eyed peas and "hog jaw" (bacon at my house) to honor a Southern New Year's tradition so we may have good luck during the year. We light candles on New Year's Eve and reflect on the old year as we welcome the new one, or we attend parties with others celebrating the new year.
We might watch the ball drop in Times Square, along with celebrations from around the world.
I did most of the above in the weeks before and after New Year's Day. Not that I regret following the traditions, but I wonder if most of us ever really consider the true meaning of renewal, or "beginning again." For example, if I resolve to be a better mom or a better teacher, then I am committing myself to real change. In other words, resolutions mean nothing without the will to follow through instead of falling back into old habits and patterns.
The new year, the idea that renewal should be tied to some date, also strikes me as merely convenient. If we seriously plan to enact change in our lives, then does it matter whether we do it on Jan. 1 or July 1, or Sept. 9? No. New Year's Day is, after all, just a day, and any day is good for renewal.
Today is Jan. 16, the beginning of a new semester. Resolve to study, to make the best of your time here. I will resolve to be a better teacher and a better person.
After all, we don't have to be cliches.
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