Did you make New Years Resolutions?
By Ann Johnson
A week into January 2021 I am still wondering about New Years resolutions, their value in such uncertain times and as to whether they even be useful to me.
I feel much more comfortable about setting objectives for the year instead of planning to stop, give up or start something.
Perhaps, thinking about life’s bucket list and looking at whether some could be achieved this year, start making small steps towards them or whether there are new ones to add.
For many of us we will feel COVID 19 is the big barrier to everything and as a result we stop planning. But the one thing we can still do is enjoy the great outdoors, the fresh air, tidying of gardens, allotments and veg patches.
So perhaps we need to do something similar to one of my closest friends who has set 12 (one for every month) outdoor challenges for the year. These include a walk through a particular forest near to her, climbing a nearby hill and so on – all on her own with time with reflection.
So, if you are looking for something to engage with one of these dark January nights, why not form a list of ‘To Do’s. These might include something new to grow in the garden or research, or somewhere outdoors to discover.
According to History.com “The ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions, some 4,000 years ago. They were also the first to hold recorded celebrations in honour of the new year- though for them the year began not in January but in mid-March, when the crops were planted.
During a massive 12-day religious festival known as Akitu, the Babylonians crowned a new king or reaffirmed their loyalty to the reigning king. They also made promises to the gods to pay their debts and return any objects they had borrowed.
These promises could be considered the forerunners of our New Year’s resolutions. If the Babylonians kept to their word, their (pagan) gods would bestow favour on them for the coming year. If not, they would fall out of the gods’ favour- a place no one wanted to be”
I think we all need some favours bestowed upon us at the moment, something to encourage us and/or to engage us in a safe but satisfying way.
So why not come up with your own ‘promises’ or ideas for a new food crop, not to the pagan gods but for yourself and your well-being.