A Rant for the New Year

 

I love Christmas. In spite of the commercialism, the stress and the ephemeral tackiness of it all, there's still a spirit in the air, a heightened feeling of goodwill toward each other, a sense of magic and wonder. The part of me that never got over being a little kid really believes in the whole schmaltzy business. It's my favorite time of the year. I can't say the same for New Years, though. I mean, what's it all about? It's a year later than it was this time last year. So? What's the big deal?

It's easy enough to attribute my curmudgeonly attitude to the fact that I'm at that age where the passing of another year is nothing to celebrate, but there's more to my disdain than that. For one thing, it's the year's biggest amateur drunk night. Perfectly reasonable people who rarely have more than a glass of wine with dinner suddenly become Arthur wannabes. The ones that don't get obnoxious become maudlin, and both stand a good chance of practicing their projectile vomiting all over your carpet or upholstery. And somewhere between the jolly good cheer phase and worshiping the porcelain god, they make those damn New Year's resolutions. Personally, I find the whole business pathetic and appalling.

If you want to change something about yourself, just do it. You don't need a New Years resolution to pull it off successfully. I mean, what is it about the first of January that makes your decisions more binding? If you want to do something, make your decision, make a committment to it, take responsibility for yourself and just do it. You don't need a special occasion. All you need is a little self-control.

You want to stop smoking? Fine. Don't make a big deal out of it. Just stop. Don't light another cigarette. Don't buy that next pack and don't bum them from your friends. You want to lose some weight? Great! You have a brain. Your brain runs your body. Do you think the fork moves from the plate to your mouth all by itself? Stop it. You really can take control of your life and your habits. Sure, your choices may cause a little discomfort for awhile, but so what? Deal with it. Nobody promised you a perfect life without the slightest inconvenience. Put up with it, get through it, get over it. In the end, you'll be glad you did, because if you make a committment to change on your own and stick with it, you're going to feel better about it and the changes will last because you want them to.

If you must make New Years resolutions, the best resolution you could make is to take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Make your decisions and, good or bad, accept the consequences and put neither blame nor responsibility on anyone or anything.