The 2010 year is coming to a close in two weeks and like many of you, I am looking back at the past year and wondering where the time went. So, what did you accomplish in 2010? What did you gain? What did you lose? Who did you lose? What are you proud of? What do you wish you could go back and change?
Very soon it will be 2011 and like many people, you may have high expectations of the coming new year—as if it were a clean slate. I think that we appreciate having a new start in order to strengthen our resolve and to gear up for whatever the task may be. Quite often we make New Year’s resolutions pertaining to weight loss or improved health and happiness. I suspect that more and more people will have goals pertaining to education, employment, and financial and family security.
Why mark any particular year with memories or milestones? I believe that a year is a point of reference, a marker, and a way to remember our past. I use dates to remember what was happening in my life 2 years ago, 10 years ago, and even 20 years ago. It’s important to remember our past in order to learn and grow and to experience how life changes—whether we want it to or not.
Can you imagine what life was like in your city or town 250 years ago? Have you ever done any research on the history of your area and come away with a renewed appreciation for the present day? Or, perhaps it made you long for days gone by.
The passage from one year to the next is an essential part of history. Years become decades, and then eras, generations, and centuries—each which seem to have defining traits. What makes us so different from past generations? You are contributing to history at this very moment, so just imagine what people in the future will think of us. How do you want to leave your mark and be remembered? I suppose I could be remembered as someone who stopped to “smell the roses” occasionally and encouraged others to do the same; all while trying to “cultivate” a better life.
Take an interest in history. Honor it, protect it, and learn from it. Celebrate.
Happy New Year!
