The date is arbitrary. While some people stir up a big hullabaloo over the bridge between one year and the next, there is not a four legged creature in all of nature that follows suit. Animals have their own transitions, of course. The day when a buck loses his antlers is triggered by the photoperiod, or amount of daylight. One day he leaps across the field and leaves his velvet branches behind. Polar bears hunker down for a long winter's nap with no regard for a calendar.
Physical sensations such as hunger become quiescent while they sleep. Bears survive by using up stored fat reserves and may lose forty per cent of their total weight.
Perhaps it is because of an innate hunger for celebration, that we humans have concocted grandiose traditions around the swivel from one year to the next. In Ireland, people bang loaves of bread against the wall, to chase away evil spirits. Columbians put three potatoes under their bed on the last night of the year. One is peeled, one intact, and a third half peeled. If they reach down and grab the peeled one when they wake up it predicts financial struggles. Choosing the unpeeled one
indicates an abundant year ahead. Italians serve a dish with lentils because their shape resembles coins.
The tendency to articulate goals for the future is a popular one where I live. Losing weight is a common wish, though no one I know goes as far as to sleep for three months. While there is not a guarantee that these resolutions will be achieved, there is value in spelling them out. Being part of a group that aspires to them increases the odds further still.
There is a
compilation of spiritual growth programs that I have benefited from. Taken one step at a time, these systems speak to gratitude, forgiveness, and integrity.
Committing to any one of them could bring more light into your routine. While there are no promises of monetary gain, upping our sense of appreciation for what we already possess leaves dissatisfaction behind. And a jump in integrity may keep evil spirits at bay.
