I don’t know if I have any authority regarding the commencement of the New Year. I have no words of resolution insight, fat-loss tips, relationship advice, nor career success. No self-actualization, unfortunately. Hell, I’ve never even had a New Year’s kiss, so I would hardly consider myself the expert in such matters. The truth is, I’m trying to figure out what to do with this New Year just like everyone else.
When the clock turns, I feel this heightened sense of potential, of hope. You can see it in the eyes of TV newscasters, in the crowds clogging Times Square. You can see it in the fireworks, in the confetti, in the kisses. This reborn sense of hope that can be felt worldwide as each time zone counts down from 10. You see, when the clock turns, I’m equally overwhelmed by both this invigorating sense of potential and this crushing fear it could all be wasted in a year’s time.
Sometimes all I can think about is this intangible idea to be better. Be your best self! Read more, save money, lose weight, get a six-pack, run a half marathon, spend less time on Facebook. Rachel, try to suck a little less this New Year than you did during 2015. For God’s sake, at least try to finish a whole ChapStick before losing it.
All these resolutions, these tiny, internal promises, I don’t think really mean all that much, though. This personal potential seems so small on the grand spectrum of so much great, big potential! When the ball drops, everything is new! A new year to do absolutely anything we desire, to love, to adventure, to risk.
“Nothing carries meaning. People carry meaning. We are the porters of importance.”
This tiny, personal potential only carries as much weight as we give it, so why not focus our energy on living this year to its fullest. I think we have so much more in us. From the lights in our eyes as we count down from 10, I know we have so much more in us. Looking back, we were immature, lazy, uneducated, deluded. We didn't know any better back then. But looking forward, we're invincible.
While the New Year represents nothing but uncertainty, the excitement lies within the idea that we have 365 days to accomplish anything. This is a lot of time. Every day is enough time for a resolution revolution, enough time to achieve our fullest potential as a human race.
Maybe none of this will happen, and we will continue to drink away our sorrows of the past year in the hopes that the next will be better. The continuous cycle of repentance and hope. But maybe a year from now we'll reflect and revel in the greatness of 2016. We are the porters of importance. We have too much say in the fate of this world to not address how truly amazing we all are. We can form bonds and friendships and relationships and we can create and innovate and discover. Right now there's electricity in the air and we need to sustain it.
I’m not sure how many more 365 day spans I have left. But if these are the last 365 days I’m promised, I certainly will not be spending them by concentrating all my energy on getting a six-pack.
