Anything in life when is new, we go out of way to protect it, nurture it and handle it with care. As kids in our schooling days in new academic year we would neatly cover all new text books and note books, label them, do homework neatly and sincerely, mug up lessons, as the first month would passed slowly the enthusiasm would start fading. The smell, fragrance of new text books and note books would keep attraction of the new academic year for a month or so.
When we buy something new – a new car, a bike, a bag, a goggle, perfume, a shoe we strive to maintain it; we handle all new things with care. But, as those things start getting older, we lose interest in them. As human, we have this fascination with ‘newness’. A newly made acquaintance is always good; we find everything nice in him/her. Similarly when you fall in love, the initial few days you see everything good in the person, new love, new relationship, new job, and new aspiration every “new” in life has a special 
spot in heart. Because newness brings eagerness with it.
Similarly a New Year is also special to us. We ring out the old year and invite the new. As we say good bye to one year, we look forward to a new year with a hope and optimism welcoming a brand new chapter into our life. However hard we try to plan, handle and maintain our lives, each year, all of us face situations and circumstances that are completely out of our control. But, still we look forward to welcoming a New Year with keenness. Making resolutions for the New Year is one such strategy to control our life.
(A statue of Janus in Vatican Museum)
Do you know that ancient Romans prayed to Janus – the God of new beginnings? And, the month January is named after Janus. Romans believed that Janus has two faces: one looking forward and one looking backward. This allowed him to look back – the past and look forward to a new future. On 
31st December, the Romans thus believed in making resolutions, to forgive enemies, forget troubles of past and make a new beginning. The Romans also believed that Janus would forgive them for their past mistakes if they confessed in him to make a new positive beginning. So, they would give gifts and make promises, believing that Janus looks on them and blesses them in the year ahead. New Year’s resolutions are in fashion since then.
It’s common to have New Year resolutions. We spend a lot of time and efforts in making them. A New Year’s resolution is a promise a person makes for the New Year. A resolution is made regardless of what resolution one commits to. The goal is to improve life in the coming year. We spend so much time writing them down with action plans to achieve them; using colored ink to mark some most important ones, discussions with friends, finding reasons for not having achieved few resolutions of current year as yet. Few most common resolutions are: losing weight, strictness with spending money, saving money, staying healthy, go for long walks, getting organized, acquiring more educational degrees, quit smoking, cut down on drinks, buy a new house etc, etc, etc. A research has shown 45% Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions. But, we have seen that however well planned our resolutions are we commonly break them under some or the other excuse. With everything that happens around us, it is sometimes difficult to reach each and every goal.
There are those sticklers who do try their best to attain all resolutions. Many even carry forward the unmet resolutions of previous year to the New Year. I have seen some perfectionists who do achieve most of their resolutions.
The first day of the New Year 2018 signifies the end of a chapter. I probably didn’t reach my highest expectations last year, but it wasn’t all that bad. The New Year of course holds the hopes, the dreams, and the possibilities of a great happening new year. I have made as usual some resolutions, written them down in my diary and resolved to make some good beginnings.
What’s so new about the fresh year? In the night when the clock struck 12 one minute changed the year – from one to next, a new year, a new start. While writing date, it will take some time to get adjusted while writing number of the year. Yes, we will need time to help to get past year into past.
Looking back upon the last couple of years, I feel some emptiness as my parents, some of my friends some acquaintances and my pet who have passed away and left vacuum. I missed on some opportunities in my career, took some wrong decisions by reacting wrongly to some situations in my career, this has led some people reacting badly to me. But I dint stop, moved ahead in life. I moved forward and I continued to grow. I dumped all disappointments behind. You know, writing a resolution does help a lot. Subconsciously your mind keeps reminding about those unfulfilled resolutions. It makes you take some stern, some lenient, some naïve actions, and they are worth it. Life is all about moving ahead, not remaining stagnant.
A New Year tells us to look forward to what we have not seen. It tells us to stop regretting. It makes us leave past in past. Positive things happen in our life when we sensitively distance ourselves from the pessimistic things. So stop holding on to those grudges, those small and big hurts, and make room for the best things. Welcome the New Year with open arms.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end – Seneca.