In with the New

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest....
Alexander Pope

In other words, we’re never satisfied. Or, we deserve better than we’re getting. Good things lie ahead, around the next corner, over the next hill, in the Next Life. Whenever.

And never is Hope more alive than on the brink of a New Year. Humans are drawn to landmarks and turning points. There is magic in them, even if we are the ones putting it there.

Especially if we are the ones. Writers know the importance of proactive characters. However beaten up by fate, enemies, and the ills that flesh is heir to, they seize their destinies between their teeth and charge forward. So should we all.

And why not mark our intent by observing a tradition? If you don’t have one, make one. Or join with the people of another culture, if their ritual appeals to you.


To rid yourself of an unsatisfactory 2007, how about a bonenkai? That’s the Japanese “forget the year” celebration, where houses are cleaned, grudges let go, and misunderstandings cleared up.

Feeling lazy? Join the Spaniards and eat twelve grapes at midnight to secure twelve happy months in the year to come. Or have some black-eyed peas for good luck, as folks do in the American south. The Poles go for pickled herring. In Greece, a coin hidden in a St. Basil’s cake brings good fortune to the lucky one who receives it.

If you like your neighbors and wish them well, you might consider throwing dishes at their door. In Denmark, where people save old crockery for New Year’s flinging, a pile of broken dishes on your doorstep means you are popular.

Or, just relax in front of the teevee with a plate of nachos, watch the celebration in Times Square, and sing along with the traditional song. Whatever the tipple of your choice, let us each raise a glass to one another, we writers and readers, and in the words provided by Scottish poet Robert Burns:



tak a right guid-willie waugh (good-will drink) for auld lang syne (times gone by).