New War

A short essay about resolutions and the coming of a new year.

The whispers of 2013 are beginning to echo in my ears as this year reaches a bittersweet end. Reflecting back on the past year, I am sure we can all find both the bitter and the sweet nectars these past 12 months have offered us, and it is the combination of both that has allowed us to learn and grow in ways we had never imagined. So then, what is it about the coming of a new year that so entices us, that taunts us and reassures us of a fresh start? If life can be so sweet, what need is there to erase those memories, those dreams, and start anew? A whole new year begins only a day apart from the previous one, so then couldn't we look at each new day as a fresh start? Why wait until that fateful January day in which empty promises and disillusioned resolutions are made, only to be remembered a year later?

As the coming of a new year approaches, I think to myself that my new year has already begun. In fact, I start a new year, a new war, every time I open my eyes. Each day is the coming of a new promise, a resolution to be strong, courageous, and to make decisions that honor the one I made a few months ago, when I chose life. To me, resolutions shouldn't be a once yearly decision to lose 10 pounds, or eat more vegetables or go to the gym or some other silly nonsense. Resolutions should be a daily decision to be the best possible version of yourself. They shouldn't start or end on any particular day of the year, instead they should follow the circle of life and be carried on as you cycle through the different phases and stages of your own personal journey. At least, that's what my resolutions have to be because without that choice, without renewing it every single day, no matter what year it is, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be fighting.