Welcome to 2021! New Year’s Day (a.k.a., the first and likely last day we make good on our resolutions) is the first of a 365 day journey. We make plans, set goals, swear promises to ourselves and others, and, if we’re lucky, we might follow through.
Instead of a New Year’s resolution to go to the gym or lose weight or quit something unhealthy cold turkey, this year we’re focusing on a different kind of resolution.
In 2021, we resolve to have patience and to be forgiving — with ourselves and with each other. We are still in the midst of a global pandemic. With all the stress and uncertainty, we haven’t been our most productive (or happiest) selves, and we likely won’t be for a while. So we’ll be patient and accept that “the best I can right now” is good enough. And we’ll be patient with others and be more forgiving of what may seem like “bad” behavior. As the saying goes, everyone is fighting a battle you can’t see, and that’s true now more than ever.
In 2021, we resolve to be caring. Last year showed us we have the capacity for great kindness. We showed up for each other. We volunteered; we donated food and money and needed items; we checked on neighbors and became impromptu cheerleaders and delivery people. This year will ask us to help each other again. We will give what we can, whether that be items to a food pantry, money to a shelter, time to a community organization, or simply our attention to someone who needs a listening ear. Acts of kindness can be big or small, random or preplanned, tangible or ephemeral. And when we care for others, we care for ourselves, too, because doing something nice for someone else can make us feel better.
In times of turmoil, caring for ourselves is important. Self-care can look like fancy bath bombs and a long soak in the tub or splurging on a well-deserved special meal. But it can also look like carving out a few minutes every day to do something you love — listening to music, reading a book, playing a game, watching a TV show. It can look like declining an invite or canceling a plan because you need the time to rest instead. Self-care means tending to the mind and body both, but not everyone has time for long workouts or money for gym memberships. Even so, you can take a few minutes to walk or do some yoga or choose to climb the stairs or do some stretches at your desk.
In 2021, we resolve to improve our information literacy. 2020 was the year of the “infodemic.” Misinformation proliferated and spread rapidly, particularly on social media, often drowning out the truth. This year, when we read something, we will ask ourselves: Am I reading news or opinion? Is this information verified by one or more reputable sources? Do I believe this information to be true simply because I agree with it? Do I believe this information is false merely because I disagree with it?
Finally, in 2021, we resolve to do something we’ve “never had time” to do. For some of us, it’s a chore we’ve put off way too long or an activity we always tell ourselves we’ll do later — except that later never comes. Last year was filled with lost opportunities — some missed, some stolen. But in 2021, we will make time for the things we need and want to do (safely).
Happy New Year. May this one be better than the last.
