New Years is a time for new beginnings, fresh starts, and clean slates.  We anticipate new years eve so that we can reminisce about the past and look forward to the new. 

But New Years doesn’t always come with fond memories.  Many people look back on each year with distain and regret, hoping that the new year will bring new beginnings and fresh starts.  Isn’t that why we celebrate the turn of each year?  Aren’t we welcoming a new year with joyous celebrations and festivities in order to create a positive beginning?

Celebrations and traditions all around the world use food, noise, songs, lights, and crowds to bring luck, prosperity, and strength into their lives for the coming year.  New Year’s resolutions, whether they are part of tradition or not, occur worldwide as well with each individual making new promises for a better future. 

On January first of each year we start over.  We counted to twelve, thirty increments per number, and then we start over.  If we didn’t accomplish our goals by the time we finished counting…well, we can start over, just as we begin counting again.  Everything about New Years celebrates new beginnings and, because of this, we are somehow all allowed to start again.  We make promises to lose weight, get in shape, have better relationships, and try harder at work. We strive to make a better life. 

These are our own personal quests and each year we create new chapters for our lives.  We start at one and begin counting again.  We are more prone to forgive ourselves and others for faults.  It’s a new year, after all, and you never know what the future may bring.  Let’s hope it’s a good year for all.  Better yet MAKE it a good year. 

So, where will you be when you get to 12?