Turning the page

It is funny how much hope there is in flipping the calendar page from December to January. Such an arbitrary line, but adding a digit to the year total seems to offer the promise of a new start. We vow to do things differently and change our lives for the better.

According to a recent Seattle Times article, "New Year's resolutions are at least as old as calendars...The Romans honored the god Janus — who looked backward and forward — by designating January as the start of the year. They reflected on the past year while promising to do better in the new one." We also spend most of the month of December thinking about the ones we love, so it seems a great time to remember what is most important in your life and to try to emphasize it going forward.

Of course behind every resolution is the hope to be a better person. But being "better" is pretty hard to quantify. It is recommended that you set more concrete goals. Save 5% of every paycheck rather than 'spend less'. Run three times a week rather than 'exercise more'. That being said, my goal this year is to be a better person - a better husband, a better son, a better brother, a better friend.

I have had allergies all my life. At times they have been pretty severe. As a child my sinuses were blocked 24/7. I remember vividly the feeling of them clearing for the first time. The world was suddenly different - "I can breathe". I dream of emotional and mental epiphanies as dramatic as that. One big "ah-hah" moment where the world shifts and everything becomes clear. But big change almost always comes from small incremental ones.

This year I will work on small things that will hopefully add up to something big.