I find myself reading more and more posts about how people handle the approach of a new year. What is it about a new year that makes all of us want to stop and take inventory? Why have we collectively chosen this particular time of the year to say, “Hey. Let me stop and assess my life”? I’m not judging anyone; I’m one of those folks who’s going to spend the next few days cleaning the house from stem to stern so that we start off the new year with a clean house. (No, I’m not big on symbolic gestures. Not at all.)
But I wonder why now? Why aren’t we all holed up in our figurative bunkers until that first robin comes merrily bobbing or until that first flower pushes its way up to greet the world anew? Why have we chosen the time when we’re recuperating from too. much. holiday. to say, “Huh. I have a change or two to make, and boy, January 1st looks like a great day to do that”? Why are we doing this when we know that we’ve probably overspent, overeaten, overimbibed, etc?
The weather outside is frightful…well, maybe not frightful exactly, after all, I do live in the South, but it sure isn’t the same as a clean, clear spring day when the sky is that perfect Carolina blue that nearly takes your breath away. It’s sure not the same as fall when the leaves turn and make a patchwork of reds and oranges and yellows against that same Carolina blue. (Note I did not mention summer. Anyone who’s spent a summer in the Carolinas or even further south knows that you can’t do anything in summer except find the closest a/c vent and hole up until God is done punishing Southerners for not listening to the Baptists.)
Again, I ask — why now? If anyone figures it out, could you let me know? Please? PLEASE?
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4 responses so far ↓
1 d // Dec 29, 2007 at 9:35 am
Oh that’s easy dude. There are a few reasons why people take stock now and not continually assess throughout the year (except me of course).
1. people are lazy and don’t want to put in the work to change and work on things on a continual basis. In other words, it’s easier to put off today what can be done tomorrow.
2. people like to ignore their problems and like there isn’t anything to work on at all. It’s easy to to do that on a day-to-day basis, especially when there are not holiday sentimental reminders that they need to clean out their emotional attic.
3. The world has given them a specific deadline with which to get shit done and/or start over: December 31/January 1. So they’ll put it off till then.
4. People like rituals. No need to change, fix, clean, work on anything because that’s what New Years is *for. Otherwise, why celebrate it.
5. Waiting to do it on New Years give not only the holiday meaning to them, but it gives their goals a meaning. “I made this new years goal and I’m gonna do it!!”
In all I like New Years. I like starting a new year. I like the *idea* that it’s a fresh start even though time is a continuum and our dates, months and years don’t mean shit to actual *time*.
Ultimately I know that May 8 of 2007 is no different from January 1 of a 2008. It’s a day. It’s a day to start fresh, work hard on something or change something. So why not do it May 8? Well, I do. But I just told you why others don’t.
I hope that helps.
2 Steph // Dec 29, 2007 at 1:44 pm
I still don’t get why we picked this time of year for the shit. I mean, I get all the reasons why people (including me to a certain extent) do it, I just don’t get why we’ve all picked one of the most depressing times of the year (IMO) to do it.
Everyone’s crashing from post-holiday highs. The weather isn’t exactly cheerful. I mean, why this time of year? Why not in spring when everything else is being born? Or in fall when everything is either dying or getting ready to rest for the winter?
3 d // Dec 29, 2007 at 10:24 pm
I think that’s your hindu coming out baby. Celebrate New Year at a different time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugadi
March/April: Spring, like you would prefer.
4 Steph // Dec 30, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa hahahahahahahaha. I shoulda known to go look on a Hindu calendar.
How crazy is that?? I seriously didn’t know since I don’t celebrate any particular Hindu holy days. (I’m a bad Hindu, I know.)