Goodbye, 2020! You Won’t Be Missed…
By Anna Hessel
Baby, Baby…
Happy 2021, and good riddance, 2020! We emotionally reflect on the prior year as we look forward to the future, this year more than ever. I’ve been thinking about the baby new year, and in turn, New Year’s resolutions. This symbolism actually originated in Greece approximately 600 BC, celebrating Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine. A parade with an infant carried in a basket was representative of the god’s birth. It is believed by historians that the ancient people of Babylon created the first new year’s resolutions – not about improving oneself, but instead a commitment to return borrowed objects and pay debts. They and most of the other early major cultures actually celebrated the new year in March during the spring equinox, since that is when new crops were planted.
Resolve This!
Resolutions in Rome around 40 BC more closely resemble what we resolve for the new year today. Julius Caesar then decreed that what we now call January to be the month of Janus, after the god with two faces, whose image was found in arches and doorways. He looked back toward the prior year and forward to the future, so the new year started January 1. The promise to behave in an exemplary fashion was to honor Janus. Hopefully, we all have the resolution to show God’s love and to touch the lives of others this year and always. Of course, for 2021, we must resolve to wash our hands frequently, wear our masks, and maintain our social distance, so that we can move beyond this pandemic. Also, we finally have a new presidential administration as a blessing this year.
Self Reflection
I realize many of us have personal resolutions to enrich and better our own lives. For example, I resolve to buy more shoes at my favorite outlet mall, drink more mocha lattes from Starbuck’s, McCafe, or Dunkin’ Donuts, to condition my hair and mop the floor daily. I believe in making resolutions that I know I can keep. Hopefully, my husband has resolved to be a bit more careful with the outside mirrors on our Saab; this will certainly improve his wellbeing. I, in turn, could resolve to allow him to sleep indoors, since our puggie Maggie misses the use of her house.
