Resolutions. Tradition calls for us to use New Year's Day to take stock of ourselves and write down some new goals and resolutions for the coming year. If you're like me, the same ones seem to pop to mind with slightly ominous—yet optimistic—regularity.Yes, yes, this will definitely be the year when I will magically remain at my ideal weight no matter how many chocolate bars I consume.
Perhaps if I employ some of the lucky traditions practiced around the world, it will help. In the American South, eating black-eyed peas and pork is a harbinger of good fortune and in Switzerland they drop dollops of whipped cream on the floor to ensure a "rich" coming year. It's a Spanish tradition to eat twelve grapes at midnight, while in Scotland, one exchanges silverware, coal or shortbread for good luck.
Now, back to writing, as all of us here are believe in the power of the penned word . . . I suppose hope springs eternal because I do take the time to sit down and write some things I hope achieve over the course of the coming year. Some are practical and some are more philosophical, but the point is, I find it good to have some handwritten thoughts to help me focus on some of the important things that can sometimes get lost in the helter-pelter pace of everyday life.
I take a small sheet of paper, and using my very special fountain pen, I write down those thoughts, then put them in a small silver box that belonged to my grandfather (I read in a Feng Shui book that silver was lucky) Then I ring two small brass bells to summon the positive energy of the cosmos. A crazy ritual? Maybe, but it reminds me to take the time to breathe deeply and reflect. So, what are some of my thoughts? I'll share one: I want to be more mindful of staying balanced—there is a wonderul Rudyard Kipling quote that says if you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat both those imposters just the same . . . I find it's good advice for all the high and lows modern life throws at us.
So, do you make resolutions? And do you have any you would care to share?