Don’t Let the New Year be the Same as the Old Year

Let me start by saying I hope everyone was able to be with friends and family to celebrate the holidays and the arrival of the new year, and by wishing you all a very happy new year!

The title of this post is a play on the line “new boss same as the old boss” from the Who’s (not to be confused with the WHO of Covid fame) “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. But you classic rock fans likely picked that up without my prompting.

As 2021 ended so many people were energetically ready to kick it to the curb, with good reason, and expressed hope for a better 2022. It just has to be better, right? Hearing all of that got me thinking that before we call 2021 a total shit-show, let’s take a step back and realize that events are just events. We assign meaning to them and decide in our own minds if they are good or bad. An important thing to remember as we look back – and more so as we move forward.

A Chinese proverb captures this perfectly:

Once upon a time, there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years.

One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically, “you must be so sad.”

“We’ll see,” the farmer replied.

The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it two other wild horses.

“How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed! “Not only did your horse return, but you received two more. What great fortune you have!”

“We’ll see,” answered the farmer.

The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. “Now your son cannot help you with your farming,” they said. “What terrible luck you have!”

“We’ll see,” replied the old farmer.

The following week, military officials came to the village to conscript young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “Such great news. You must be so happy!”

The man smiled to himself and said once again.

“We’ll see,”

The message here is pretty clear. In the flow of time and events, what seems bad to us might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Think about things that have occurred in your life that may have been painful in the moment but that needed to happen in order for something really good to happen - like being laid off from a job only to land something much better that you would never have tried for if you had still been in that old job. There are plenty of examples if you look for them.

All that will happen in this new year of hope are just events strung together. It’s not what happens it’s how we react and what meaning we assign to each event. The year is what you – what we – make it. It’s up to us to make it a great year, so do your part, lookout for each other, find the positive in the world around you, and spread that positive vibe to others. In that way we take control and can make 2022 a great year. We sure deserve it!