I don't really have a strong connection to the New Year's Eve holiday. It's secular, to me. On second thought, I guess it's secular by definition, but it seems to be pursued almost religiously by most of the adults in the country. Well, it's not that big a deal to me. What's really the point in celebrating the random day the calendar ran out? The year turns on Yule, as far as I'm concerned - that is when the switch from getting-darker to getting-lighter happened. Any other day they chose to end the calendar with is just that - a day someone chose. I mean, the New Year's Eve party itself is fun, if I'm with the right people, but any party with the right people is fun.
Maybe it's just the resolutions tradition I don't feel a strong connection with. I'm one of those who makes changes as the necessary changes make themselves known. That could happen on New Year's Eve - it is a day, and things do happen on days - but there's 364 or 5 other days in the year on which things happen, too. So there's a 1/365 or 6 chance. It doesn't even go up all that much if I count the whole New Year's week.
Anyway, I don't feel the need to change something on New Year's Day just for the sake a making a change. If it ain't broke, I don't fix it.
There are things I'm doing, and changes I'm in the middle of making. Can I just count those? The New Year's Resolution Fairy won't mind, right?
I'm going to finish my Bisbee Deportation project, and I'll be shocked if it takes me more than a month or two.
I'm slowly shifting my diet over to something that's not gluten-free or vegetarian, but maybe gluten-lite, and meat-lite. That wasn't a decision, really. It's just what my body is craving these days. Or rather, what my body really doesn't want these days are heavy breads and a lot of meat. It's a bit odd, since I've practically lived on those two staples most of my life. They just don't appeal to me now. Meh. Maybe I'm reading too much, and my appetite is taking notice. Either way, I'm feeling better - less depression, more energy, more focus - since the shift began. That can't be bad.
I'm doing two activities with weekly regularity, and really working to improve myself in both: tai chi and horseback riding. A new love, and a lifelong love. It's good.
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I totally forgot to add that this post was inspired by The Pagan Experience, a new pagan blogging thingy (I'm tired, please forgive my utter lack of vocabulary). You should check out all the other entries, too.
Maybe it's just the resolutions tradition I don't feel a strong connection with. I'm one of those who makes changes as the necessary changes make themselves known. That could happen on New Year's Eve - it is a day, and things do happen on days - but there's 364 or 5 other days in the year on which things happen, too. So there's a 1/365 or 6 chance. It doesn't even go up all that much if I count the whole New Year's week.
Anyway, I don't feel the need to change something on New Year's Day just for the sake a making a change. If it ain't broke, I don't fix it.
There are things I'm doing, and changes I'm in the middle of making. Can I just count those? The New Year's Resolution Fairy won't mind, right?
I'm going to finish my Bisbee Deportation project, and I'll be shocked if it takes me more than a month or two.
I'm slowly shifting my diet over to something that's not gluten-free or vegetarian, but maybe gluten-lite, and meat-lite. That wasn't a decision, really. It's just what my body is craving these days. Or rather, what my body really doesn't want these days are heavy breads and a lot of meat. It's a bit odd, since I've practically lived on those two staples most of my life. They just don't appeal to me now. Meh. Maybe I'm reading too much, and my appetite is taking notice. Either way, I'm feeling better - less depression, more energy, more focus - since the shift began. That can't be bad.
I'm doing two activities with weekly regularity, and really working to improve myself in both: tai chi and horseback riding. A new love, and a lifelong love. It's good.
 |
| There I go, leaving the world behind. (My friend took this picture of me.) |
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I totally forgot to add that this post was inspired by The Pagan Experience, a new pagan blogging thingy (I'm tired, please forgive my utter lack of vocabulary). You should check out all the other entries, too.
Good for you. I did a post about 'what's so special about January 1' sometime over the break. I agree about Yule. That's when the days start getting longer again. That IS a new beginning. still doesn't make me want to make promises I'm just going to break though! (Would you be surprised to know that I'm scared of horses?)
ReplyDeleteI'm continuously surprised by how many people are afraid of horses! They can be intimidating, for sure. These two mares that my friend and I are riding, though, are the sweetest little things. And they are little, for horses. Makes me miss my big old draft cross I used to have. He was kind of an ass at times, but a steady horse to have under you.
DeleteAnyway... Making promises for the sake of making promises seems a bit empty to me - which is probably why doing so has never 'stuck' all the times I've tried it. Meh. I do what I do.
Horses are good for the soul. I really wish I could ride more.
ReplyDeleteI'm very lucky to have found this opportunity to ride. The horses aren't mine - they belong to someone who doesn't ride anymore and needed someone to ride their horses for them. My friend spoke up for the two of us when she heard about it. I have great friends.
DeleteI think most attainable resolutions are things we've been thinking about or working on for a while. We rarely just wake up one day and say, "I'll save this to start doing it after New Year." Well, aside from the well-known exercise and dieting bit. I still don't get why so many people do it. Perhaps because there is so much food during the holidays. Who knows...
ReplyDeleteI list what I need (and want) to do all yearlong: on my birthday, on the Summer Solstice, on All Hallow's Eve... I think the New Year's list is more prevalent because there are so many others doing it, too.
Ride on!
I suspect the binge-and-diet thing people do with these particular holidays has a lot to do with consumerism... but I'm cynical in that regard. It's probably far healthier and more realistic to set goals and make changes throughout the year... or at least not doing a preemptive sabotage of planned goals before you start working on them.
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