Going On

Not With an End or Beginning, But as a Continuation

Photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

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The old year dies, and we face the new year as though it were an entity, new as a newborn babe. A new calendar with twelve leaves, one for each month. Something in us, some need for the specific, the orderly, the mathematical exactitude, calls for such demarcation. Yet any year, regardless of arbitrary time, is like a circle; you can start at any point upon it, and following the circle, you come back to that point. Our year, our circle, happens to be a cycle of the seasons, planting, growing, reaping, resting; and thus it is a part of the earth, the soil and the flowing waters as well as of the stars by which it is gauged.... And the year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.

~Hal Borland (1900–1978)

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I love this quote, which seems to excuse the need for resolutions that start on January 1st while promoting the idea that every day is a good time to make positive changes. Whether it’s a work or home project, a relationship, taking on something new, or letting go of something old, a year offers 365 opportunities to do just that.

And yet…

I love the feeling that a new year IS a fresh start. The demarcation between old and new has a real psychological effect on my thinking. Maybe it’s because the hustle and bustle of autumn and the Christmas preparation frenzy finally culminate in a few days of rest and (hopefully) peace.

Back-to-school, the swapping out of Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas planning, and all the time and energy we expend doing it are…exhausting. By the time December 31st arrives, it feels as if we’ve crossed a finish line, sweaty and satisfied (unless you still have a New Year’s party to put on!)

When I cross that imaginary line, I feel tired and empty. But it’s not a bad kind of empty like when you run out of gas many miles from home because of a broken gas gauge that you didn’t know was broken.

It’s the good kind of empty, like tackling an overstuffed closet brimming with forgotten items collected over several decades. You pass it many times a day, knowing it needs to be cleaned and organized to better utilize the space.

Finally, when the contents are pulled out into the light of day, you suddenly realize it’s not as bad as you thought. Certainly, there’s a bunch of stuff to sift through, but it’s easy to distinguish what needs to be discarded and what is still usable.

With some time and effort, unneeded things are boxed up and driven to their appropriate destination. The closet is like a blank slate, open for new possessions that serve our needs today. Gone are the old ones that no longer have a purpose. And the extra space offers room for organization, so we can easily find stuff without digging through yesteryear.

Credit: smallstuffcounts.com

This ‘clearing out the old to organize and make way for the new’ applies to creative pursuits, as well. Having an imaginative mind is similar to an overflowing closet; ideas can sometimes multiply without much effort. Of course, there’s the occasional dry spell known as writer’s block. But overall, our thoughts often lead us in many different directions, and it’s hard to know which one to take:

(How should I set up my newsletter topics, and in what order? How do I choose which personal stories to include for upcoming private-subscriber-only posts? Should I cover the difficult subjects of my personal history in chronological sequence or in some other way?)

There’s a lot to consider before I ever start writing. The real work is in prioritizing and arranging those thoughts into a solid plan of action. Flying by the seat of one’s pants isn’t my preferred mode of…well, anything. And that’s what I’ve been doing for a while now.

I find comfort in lists, spreadsheets, and schedules. That comes from the need to have some level of control over my most precious asset, which is time. Don’t get me wrong; I’m more flexible now than ever before. More willing and able to deviate from a plan (if necessary) and readjust the schedule. But I do better with a map for my journey or, these days, GPS. Even when traveling to familiar destinations, I program the route in case of distractions because the highways AND life throw us plenty of those!

Budget your time and you will enrich your hours. ~William Arthur Ward

My goal for 2024 is to set goals and revise my schedule, so I’m able to accomplish them. The stack of books on my bedside table will finally get read IF I get to bed earlier and commit to reading one chapter each night. I’ll get more writing done IF I get up earlier and write before doing anything else. I’ll get my daily steps in IF I do them after writing and, before starting anything else, and so on.

Managing time more effectively is the aim. I’ll work to achieve this objective, which in turn will help me accomplish the various goals I’ve set. It isn’t a beginning really, but a ‘going on’ of previous years. The continuation of trying to be and do better, which is always worth striving for!

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I wish everyone good health & happiness. I hope you’re successful with whatever goals you’ve set for the new year, and make time for self-care and the things that bring you joy!

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