Excellent. My wife and I go for a yearly retreat at the beginning of August—it's our anniversary, the beginning of the school year, the end of the gardening season, so it makes sense to think of "resolutions" at that time instead of in January. We never make new years resolutions, but at our retreat we set goals, talk about what we want in the year to come, and other stuff like that.
I've heard some people argue that September 1st should be seen as New Years Day instead of January 1st. Most of the standard new years resolutions- lose weight, start a new hobby, begin a new venture- are doubly hard to begin in winter and so attempting them in January is setting yourself up to fail. There is definitely something to this idea.
That retreat sounds like a wonderful ritual to partake in. Thanks for the great comment William.
You’re onto something. A resolution to resolve makes a lot more sense to me than a resolution to *gain* something. Maybe it’s a byproduct of me being official Not Young Anymore™️ but at this stage I’m more interested in letting go of the ‘bad’ than aquiring ‘goods’
That’s an interesting connection and not one that I made consciously although I do very dimly recall reading some Adam Smith for a psychology class on economics. Maybe it went in. And maybe I should add Smith to the eve growing list of rereads.
That was the most thoroughly researched part of the whole essay. Turns out that there is regional differences as to the meaning of those two words but I hold that my way of distinguishing the two makes the most sense. But then I would say that wouldn’t I?
Thanks Abby. I try to mostly sidestep topics that are timely or ‘obvious’, but sometimes exceptions can be made if I find a way of tackling them that isn’t just the same old, same old. Inherently carries a bit of risk though. But then that makes things fun.
Excellent. My wife and I go for a yearly retreat at the beginning of August—it's our anniversary, the beginning of the school year, the end of the gardening season, so it makes sense to think of "resolutions" at that time instead of in January. We never make new years resolutions, but at our retreat we set goals, talk about what we want in the year to come, and other stuff like that.
I've heard some people argue that September 1st should be seen as New Years Day instead of January 1st. Most of the standard new years resolutions- lose weight, start a new hobby, begin a new venture- are doubly hard to begin in winter and so attempting them in January is setting yourself up to fail. There is definitely something to this idea.
That retreat sounds like a wonderful ritual to partake in. Thanks for the great comment William.
But halfway through the essay, I thought: Wouldn't "resolve" be a fun resolution? Resolve self-conflict, trauma, and other various knots in the mind?
Maybe too esoteric, but I like it. In the same vein as inner peace.
"How many people have the goal of inner peace as their New Year’s resolution?"
Count me as one, then.
You’re onto something. A resolution to resolve makes a lot more sense to me than a resolution to *gain* something. Maybe it’s a byproduct of me being official Not Young Anymore™️ but at this stage I’m more interested in letting go of the ‘bad’ than aquiring ‘goods’
Well argued and well articulated. When you used the word "lovable," I connected your essay to Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments.
That’s an interesting connection and not one that I made consciously although I do very dimly recall reading some Adam Smith for a psychology class on economics. Maybe it went in. And maybe I should add Smith to the eve growing list of rereads.
When you botch a job you fail at it, when you bodge a job it shouldn’t work yet somehow just about does. --> that's a fine distinction!
That was the most thoroughly researched part of the whole essay. Turns out that there is regional differences as to the meaning of those two words but I hold that my way of distinguishing the two makes the most sense. But then I would say that wouldn’t I?
Excellent thoughtful piece. Good way to start the year
Thanks Abby. I try to mostly sidestep topics that are timely or ‘obvious’, but sometimes exceptions can be made if I find a way of tackling them that isn’t just the same old, same old. Inherently carries a bit of risk though. But then that makes things fun.