You think I’m going to write about New Year’s resolutions, getting on board, and doing things right (for a change.) Well, I am sure you have been doing a fine job on your own. You don’t need self-proclaimed experts giving you pointers. And I know you have not asked for advice. So, instead, I will explain my life view as a new year approaches. It sounds so very exciting, right?
Since my birthday is always just a month before the new year I have a head start on the whole how can I be better stuff. At my age, I do not make resolutions. After 70 years of resolution-making, all of them eventually failing in one way or another, I have given myself the freedom of letting go of that ever-present list of should-do and should-not-do. I am putting the list aside. Instead, I am embracing a new vocabulary and a fresh way of thinking.
My word for 2025 is ANEW. It sounds very Shakespearean but it is a real word in our modern-day language. We just don’t use it in everyday lingo. It is a shame because anew is a great word. I’ve looked up several definitions and here is what I found:
If you do something anew, you do it again, often in a different way from before;
Again or one more time, especially in a different way;
For an additional time: again.
Perhaps these examples will help.
Resolution: “I will give up chocolate for a year.” (Never going to happen)
Anew: “I will consume only high-quality chocolate.” (I will save money because that kind of chocolate is expensive which means I will be eating less chocolate.)
Do you see the difference? Instead of adding or deleting, I am continuing life in a new, different, and better way. Resolutions are supposed to make positive changes but I have always found resolutions to feel negative, especially when I fail to keep them. So, I am not making resolutions this new year.
I am starting anew.
With a resolution, you are one and done which is very convenient until you break your resolution. Then you have to wait until the next new year to make a new resolution. When you live anew you can wake up every blessed day and start your day anew. Do it different than the day before. Make it better than the day before. Put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror that reads, “Start your day anew.” Help me get anew into the everyday vocabulary where it belongs.
Whichever path you take, I wish you a happy, safe, and healthy new year. And remember, whether you choose to make a resolution, or you choose to live anew, you are choosing what is right for you and I applaud you for it. I especially applaud you if you can give up chocolate for a year.
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