My wish for you for the new year

I think that a friend and mentor of mine put it quite well the other day when he had the following to say about the coming of the new year and a self-assessment he was doing. He wrote:

I've always thought of new years eve as the most important time of year. It's a time to reflect and also look ahead. For me it's not about staying up and celebrating or making unrealistic resolutions but about having hope and a direction as I move on in life. It's personal. I know what I want to strive for and I probably won't get there completely but I will gain ground. I haven't forgotten where my bones are buried and my demons and I are on a first name basis.

I have a ton of regrets but at the same time a lot to be proud of. And I know there are people in this world who love me and that is enough. So I will continue to gain ground.
Happy new year! And peace to all!

I'm moved by this for several reasons. This comes from someone who I think approaches life with the right attitude and who I think is in a good place. I don't agree with everything that he says on other topics, but he's the kind of person who can make me think twice about something. He has a blue-collar wisdom that I understand and that I wish that I had more of. There is also a real humanism and realism in these words, and there is something instructive in that. Some people will go all out with platitudes, some people will be brief and formal, some people do the sugar-coating around this time of year. But this is a real self-assessment with some vulnerability to it and not everyone is strong enough to think this through and put that out there. These are also healing words. Someone can read this and see themselves in these words and step back and think that they aren't alone and that their life and their struggles and their hopes and the way that they're trying to give order to their life has some meaning after all.

So many people who I know are struggling in one way or another to give their lives order and meaning, and so few people who I know who are trying to do this have the support needed to make a good job out of it. It's hard to do. The person who wrote this has a strong bonded relationship with a woman who shares his values. They have a couple of pets. They're the kind of people others listen to and respect, and no one goes away from them without feeling their strength. They worked hard to get there. And here's the hint from above to find order and meaning in your daily life: you can't do it entirely on your own. We aren't wired for solitary lives and for not having to be accountable to others. This isn't about a party that never ends. Like my friend and mentor says, "And I know there are people in this world who love me and that is enough. So I will continue to gain ground."


My wish for all of us is that in 2023 we draw in closer, build solidarity and community, find the real love that we're made for, and gain lots of ground.