In my humble opinion

Here we go again

By JONATHAN CHARLES FOX
Posted 1/4/23

By the time this column hits newsstands, it will be January 5, but in order to get it written in time for publication, I’m sitting at my desk on New Year’s Day 2023. Such is “the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in
In my humble opinion

Here we go again

Posted

By the time this column hits newsstands, it will be January 5, but in order to get it written in time for publication, I’m sitting at my desk on New Year’s Day 2023. Such is “the nature of the beast,” as Barbara Fox was fond of saying.

“Working on New Year’s Day?” a horrified friend asked, having called to wish me well. “It’s fine,” I sullenly replied. “Dharma and I were snoring long before the ball dropped in Times Square last night.”

I’m quite sure that I wrote a list of resolutions for the last year, and was hoping to see how many I’ve kept—but for the life of me, I can’t locate it. Undoubtedly, one was to “be more organized.” It’s clear to see how that worked out.

I’ve begun compiling this year’s list of do’s and don’ts, but it’s fairly pedestrian (vacuum more often, spend less/save more), so I won’t bore you poor folks more than I normally do.

Instead, I took to social media in order to see how others were approaching their brand of a fresh start, and came across a few notions that I found appealing.

As I glanced at a page from last July while removing the outdated calendar from the wall, I winced at the large squares filled in with scribblings, doodles, cross-outs and even a sticky note or two.
As I glanced at a page from last July while removing the outdated calendar from the wall, I winced at the large squares filled in with scribblings, …

Old pal Duke Devlin posted a quote I’ve seen before, but never really paid attention to until today.

“I’m walking into 2023 with a clear heart and mind,” Duke wrote, and followed with an unknown author’s New Year’s words of wisdom: “If you owe me, don’t worry about it. If you wronged me, it’s all good, lesson learned. If you’re angry with me, you’ve won—l’ve let it go.”

That made sense (IMHO), so I continued reading. “If we aren’t speaking, it’s cool—I truly wish you well. If you feel I’ve wronged you, I apologize—it wasn’t intentional. I’m grateful for every experience that I received. Life is too short for pent-up anger, holding of grudges and extra stress or pain.

Here’s to a,” the prose declared in conclusion, “remember forgiving someone is for you, so don’t block your blessings. Make 2023 a year of positivity and a season of forgiveness.”

I don’t know how many iterations exist, but noticed that others were sharing variations on a theme. Shaun Karasik’s version included “If you’re talking about me, thanks for the advertisement!” and “if you left me hanging, don’t pick me up!”—both of which I can relate to. Undoubtedly there are more, but suffice it to say that I’m planning on taking these words to heart. Will it stick? Only time will tell.

I wrote last week about many of the wonderful things that occurred in my world last year, and that’s true, but “into every life, a little rain must fall,” and mine was no exception, so there were some dark clouds as well. I do all sorts of things to alleviate the negative thoughts (meditation, subliminal messaging, and my happy light) but invariably, icky thoughts creep in. The message that Duke and Shaun shared resonated, so I think I’ll print it out and hang it next to my new calendar, courtesy of the Misner Agency’s Greg Goldstein, who never fails to provide me with a gigantic (no really, it’s huge!) clean slate come January 1.

As I glanced at a page from last July while removing the outdated calendar from the wall, I winced at the large squares filled in with scribblings, doodles, cross-outs and even a sticky note or two. “It’s been quite a year, old girl,” I rasped in the direction of the Wonder Dog, but she was busy making a fresh list on her brand-new iPawed that Santa brought her last week. “Stockpile boneys” and “chase more deer” were the only ones I could make out from my vantage point, but undoubtedly the rest were highly attainable goals. For a dog.

Whilst (yes, it’s a word) scanning the internet for more pithy quotes, I found another—again of unknown origin. “Every year you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself.” Hmmm. Think I’ll give that a whirl. Happy New Year—here we go again.

Ask the Google: Q.—Where does the idiom “Into every life, a little rain must fall” come from? A.—The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) poem titled “The Rainy Day.”

new year, resolutions, 2023, Dharma the Wonder Dog, New Year’s resolutions

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here