Here we are again, at the beginning of the year and just about to embark on a new adventure… or not? Either way, we’re going to go through another period of 365 days each filled with, believe it or not, different story. So, happy new year to us all.
As I grow older, and I believe many feels the same, I realize that new year is just an ordinary day with lots of celebration at the end. When I was a kid, I would go out all night watching the fireworks popped every second but now it’s been years that I’ve spent my new year at home with my family and just laid down on my bed waiting for the midnight to strike. Probably, the only “celebration” my family have on new year is that we would plan to cook certain meals and maybe bake some cakes too. This time it’s meatball soup with wonton and meatball tofu and my mom baked a tape butter cake.
We don’t have any new year tradition. No family movie marathon, no weekend getaway, no new year vacation. But usually, my big sis and I would watch some movies or series on tv, my mom would join us at some point. My lil’ sis would just get busy with her phone and because she’s a lot younger than us, she’s still got excited for new year. My dad would up in his study doing some work or reading, as per usual. But somehow all of this is actually a tradition itself.
Just like tradition, I’m not super big on new year’s resolution. Usually, I keep it to myself and just pray, pray for this year to be better than last year, in any possible way. And if I have goals or any of that, I will try my best to make it happen but I won’t force it, if it happens then it’s good but if it’s not then I just have to try again next year. It’s more like… go with the flow but with direction at the same time.
The next morning on January 1st, nothing is different. Some movies or series playing on tv with the same meal as last night as breakfast. The only difference would be the realization when I look at the calendar and it says January 1st and then it hits me “oh, okay we’re going again” and the day goes by as usual. The news on tv is like emphasizing the fact that it is a new day, new month, new year.
But just that: new day, new month, new year–for some reason, other than that, it’s just the same. The same problem as last year, same job as last year, same routine as last year, same place as last year, same people as last year. For some people this may be not that exciting as you will face that same thing over and over again this year and you just wait and hope for something to change. But for other people, it is a change–you know, “new year, new me” with a bunch of bucket lists and goals written in a journal.
But hey, there’s nothing wrong with both. You can feel bored because it’s the same thing again and again but you also can feel motivated every day. Because every thing is not the same, even if it looks the same–at least that’s what I believe. Like I said at the beginning, this year will be filled with different story for each day.
Yes, it can be the same routine. Yes, it can be the same job. But the story can be different. You can go through the same route going to the office every day, but it’s not every day you pass by a group of protesters in action or it’s not every day you can go home early and enjoy a bowl of ice cream at home while binge watching your favourite tv show.
Yes, it can be the same people, but it is your life-long best friend in which you haven’t seen in years. You both go for a meet up at a café and then you exchange stories, what has changed in the past years. Then it can be same people, different story.
Yes, it can be the same place but your neighbour just sent their kid to college, the little kid you used to know is now a college student. And then come a new neighbour, a bunch of youngsters rent a house to start their new business. It’s the same place but changes make it a different tale to tell.
Yes, it can be the same problem but you get older each year and you learn things. And just like that, you learn to resolve that problem, one by one, one step at a time. And you’ll save that as a lesson to learn for next time, so you won’t write the same plot again.
Either big or small, new year is something you celebrate–by any means. You celebrate it because you made it to the next year intact. You celebrate it because you just learned something last year. You celebrate it because you just close another book of your own adventure. You celebrate it because you will create another one, with its own bumps, with its own plot twists, with its own quests, with its own victories. So, celebrate it, be grateful, be hopeful–cause tomorrow, we’ll go again.
P.S.
Okay why does this sound like a motivation writing towards the end, I’m so sorry. I wrote this while sitting on my chair at the office. I was just trying to write something about new year, about how I feel about new year which is just… like that, it’s different than when I was a kid. But this turned out to be full of… I don’t know… I’m spilling guts here and get carried away a bit, probably trying to stay positive myself but hey, I made one writing, right?
