2024 looks like a mixed blessing

Could New Year's resolutions help?

January 4, 2024

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Happy new year! That statement is fraught with mixed feelings. On one hand, the world seems to be in worse shape than ever; yet in our own personal lives, we cling to the small pleasures and triumphs that help us get up in the morning.

Which brings us to resolutions for the new year. Do you make them? If so, do you stick to them? Or do you blow them off, soon after you promise yourself that this year will be different?

Are resolutions even necessary? Or are they a short-term version of the Five Year Plan that was required in the business world — and may still be? It’s been so many years since I left that arena, that I’ve lost touch with the concept and its execution.

Resolutions can cover the personal, as well as loftier intentions for improving the world. If you write resolutions at the beginning of each year, do you consider both? And do you succeed in realizing your resolutions, or do you rewrite the same ones, year after year?

How in the world will resolutions help us?

I think about all these considerations. Some years, I abandon the idea of writing resolutions. I think it’s because I’m afraid I won’t be able to stick to them, and I don’t want to be a failure.

And some years, I just laugh at the idea. It seems so hokey; so contrived.

Plus, with all the things I have to do, writing resolutions just seems like extra work that doesn’t reap enough benefits.

But this year, for some reason, I’ve decided to take a stab at writing resolutions.

I’m dividing them into personal goals; goals for helping the world; and cosmic goals.

In the first category, I want to continue to write and publish my blog posts every two weeks, trying to avoid any lapses.

I also want to resume compiling my late dad’s essays into a book that will be a tribute to him. His recollections of growing up in South Philly, together with his passionate political views, make for compelling reading. However, he hand wrote all the essays and his writing is difficult to decipher. Every time I sit down to work on this book, I’m exhausted, just getting through this initial stage. My dad is the person who inspired my love of reading and writing, and who lit the fire under me, for political causes.

I would also like to decide whether to travel again. For years, my sister and I have been talking about a trip to Liverpool, as a pilgrimage to the home of the Beatles, who we both adore. She is turning 70 in April and it seems like a fitting celebration. Her husband would join us, for a lovely family trip. I might combine it with a visit to an old boyfriend who lives in the English countryside. Of course, this would require taking planes, which I detest.

One of my music friends has been talking about a trip to the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame, and to their annual induction ceremony, which will be in Cleveland this November. We could drive there, so the issue of flying is moot. Yay!

And way out there is a longshot trip — to Cuba — an island that has fascinated me for years, especially their music and dance.

On a more mundane level, I’d like to stop being such a night owl and go to bed at a reasonable hour. On the few mornings when I wake early, I’m astounded at how long the day is, and how much I can accomplish. Unfortunately, I usually forget this by that night.

And this leads into another resolution: to stop procrastinating. If I could take care of things early on, I wouldn’t be so tempted to stay up late. This especially applies to ongoing paperwork that I need to deal with.

When I had my acupuncture practice, one of my patients was a charming, cultured 90-year old lady. She frequently bemoaned all the paperwork she had to take care of, and usually ditched it, in favor of going to concerts and museums.

At the time, I wondered how a retired person could have continual paperwork that swamped her. Now, I’m retired and I get it!

Oh, and speaking of paperwork, I would love to get rid of papers, files, and other things that seem to be overtaking my apartment. I dream of a Zen existence in my next lifetime, when I will live in a spartan white apartment, with a Zazen meditation cushion, and not much else.

My mom had a debilitating stroke in 2014, and I was hit with all kinds of new responsibilities. I hired a professional organizer, who worked with me for several months, to design systems that would make my life easier. It was great while it lasted. But here I am, ten years later, pretty much in the same boat as I was before she helped me.

Aside from personal resolutions, I have a few resolutions to help do my part to improve the world.

One is to start volunteering for MANNA, a Philly non-profit organization that feeds people who are sick or disabled and need special medical meals delivered to them. While my glaucoma prohibits me from driving, I can help the kitchen crew cook and prepare meals that other volunteers will deliver. I’ve researched a number of worthwhile local organizations, and decided that MANNA aligns most with my values.

I also intend to step up my political volunteering, to help keep Donald Trump out of the White House. I’ve learned that there is a fine line between getting involved and ending up with a fulltime commitment. It requires setting very clear boundaries, which is sometimes easier said than done.

Now, on to the cosmic stuff.

I’ve been practicing TM (Transcendental Meditation) for 40 years. Since the pandemic began, I’ve joined a twice-daily online group meditation, led by Bob Roth, a longtime meditator and CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, which raises money to provide free TM training for healthcare workers, children, and others who would benefit greatly from meditating. Each group meditation is preceded by a poem, a quote, or a story.

A recent session recounted an anecdote about Maharishi (the founder of TM) and his belief that the two elements of success are conviction and perseverance. These certainly would apply to resolutions.

Another issue Bob Roth addressed is awe, and how to find it in our everyday lives. I’d like to commit myself to seeking awe-inspiring experiences. I realize that awe and wonder are imperative to embrace, as an antidote to the disturbing political, social, and other world problems that we are faced with on a daily basis. Awe and wonder keep us in touch with the positive, beautiful part of being alive.

Oh — I’d also like to worry less!

What resolutions are important to you? What do you seek more of, in your life? Please comment at the bottom of this post. Thank you.