diem

Now that we've all made it through New Year's celebrations and the ensuing hangovers (whether alcohol-induced, sugar overload, just general lack of sleep, or otherwise), I must ask: Was it really worth it?

We endure all this partying and hooplah and stressful preparations and issues finding a date (or at least someone to grab and kiss at midnight) and then trying to get home safely...just to welcome in the new year.

And I'm sure the majority of you kindof failed at actually welcoming the new year. What did you do on the first day of the new year? The day that was so important to you only two days ago? Sleep in, recover, spend hours on the internet posting "happy new year" on various social networks, eat some junk food, watch some television...
I must say that I am not exempt from having wasted my first day of the new year. I barely treated it like anything special, even though society continues to insist that it is something special.

Frankly, it's actually rather arbitrary. Who's to say where one year ends and another begins?  Life is more continuous than that.  Why do we celebrate a new year on January first as opposed to February first?  Or maybe the first day of spring?

Unfortunately, a lot of things in life feel arbitrary.  High school graduation, for example, is merely one's success at jumping through all sorts of silly hoops and following the law for twelve or thirteen years. (It is, after all, illegal to not be in school.)  Getting a degree is a series of further hoops to jump through.  Many holidays, although rooted in tradition and rituals, are now foolish and arbitrary.  Valentine's day. April Fool's. Saint Patrick's. Halloween.
The only reason any of these days are different from the day before or the day after is because of the meanings we as societies assign to them.

In spite of the arbitrary nature of the day, and among all the things that a new year means to us are some of the better things to celebrate. It's a humanistic holiday. There is hope for the coming year that it will be better.  Intent to improve our lives and become better versions of ourselves. Reflection on all we've learned from the past year, everything we've done and everything we've made it through. Moving onward and upward personally, emotionally, socially, and intellectually, both as individuals and together.

So maybe next year don't focus as much on all the partying, the late-night shenanigans, the  ball dropping, the parades, and the countdowns.  Take just a minute to think about what the new year means most to you. What will you hope for? What will you make happen? What have you learned from the past? What will you change, and what will you keep? 
And perhaps the most important: What is that better version of yourself?  What will you become?

And then take that first step and seize the first day of that new year. Don't let it just slide by like nothing important needs to be done.

And don't worry, you can still start this year off.  Take advantage of Now.