Jeremy C Kester

2022 is coming to a close, and this morning, I realized that this was the last Monday of the year, meaning, that it is to be the last “regularly” scheduled post of 2022 for this site. (I put quotes on that word given as to how sporadic posts here have been over the year.) It seems that since 2020, the world has been getting crazier and crazier, with the end of each year spurring the wishes for the following year being the return to normal.

But will it be? Is that what we really want? Was “normal” something to yearn for?

In truth, this post is not going to be be a dissertation on all that 2022 was. It is different for many. Bad for some, good for others, and indifferent to many still. Maybe it was a good year that ended on a sour note, or it was the opposite. Whatever it was, people just want things to get better.

I would argue that we all want each year to be better than the last. Better is a subjective term, of course, with each person’s version being different than the next. For some, it might be that they spent 2022 alone and they hope to find love. Another it might be to climb out of debt. Another still it might be to reconnect to loved ones. Read more. Write more. Lose weight. The list goes on.

We call these resolutions. Yes, the bastard child of New Year’s Day. Still, as cheesy and whatever as one might call the act of resolutions, it is a practice of personal goals that stand a chance of making the new year better than the old. It is the cultural embodiment of hope for that better year.

For me, I used to scoff at it, claiming that self-improvement should start whenever one is ready. This year I am thinking a little different. Yes, I will continue to believe that self-improvement should begin whenever, that will not change. However, there is something about the energy of the moment that I ignored most of my life — or rather, tried to ignore. It was the cynic in me, not wishing to “follow” the crowd. But whatever. It might be a cultural phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean that resolutions aren’t or can’t be deeply personal.

This week, I am going to spend thinking hard on the topic. And next week, on January 2nd, on the first Monday post of 2023, I will list out what my goals are for the year. Until then, I hope you all have (and are having) a great holiday season!