It's a new year - how do you feel?
It's now a new year - do you feel any different? Can you tell it's now 2009? I got up this morning, and as usual read the paper's recap of 2009, and predictions for 2009. I then went to the blogs to see how many end of the year/start of the new year blogs there were - a lot. Everyone seems to be making resolutions - some of them probably the same ones that were made at the beginning of 2008. Since everyone is focusing on 2009, I thought I would offer a more limited perspective. I realize this has almost nothing to do with criminal, but I wanted to get it down somewhere - after all, why else have a blog.
I've wondered why have such a pre-occupation on the start of a new year. I understand the need for new beginnings, and the start of a new year is a good time to do that. I also appreciate the need to focus on what has gone on before, and how we would like to things to be in the future. The beginning of the new year seems to be the universal time for reflecting on those things. There's nothing wrong with that, and I've spent some time over the last few weeks doing exactly that. Unfortunately, if you are like most people, your plans and resolutions will be forgotten within in a few weeks. If you make a resolution, and stick with it until February you are truly in the minority.
My resolution for the new year is treat each day as the end of a year; reflect on what occurred that day, and resolve what to do better (or maybe the same) the next day. Each day can be the beginning of a new year. Maybe you didn't follow through with a resolution - so what, you can start again tomorrow There's no guarantee we will be here tomorrow, or until December 31, 2009. Having goals is a great thing, but we need to assess how we are doing each day.
So have a great New year - each day of 2009.
