With the first day of the first month of the new year just hours away, let me remind you that January gets its name from the Roman god Janus or Januarius.
This pagan god was represented as having two heads and two pairs of eyes. Each head faced in the opposite direction from the other, and each pair of eyes looked in the opposite direction.
It is believed that from this representation of Januarius came the custom of the New Year's resolution. Those of us who make New Year's resolutions are simultaneously looking back at how we lived in the old year while looking ahead to how we will improve our lives in the new one.
Those who have spent New Year's Eve in Rome say that the celebrations are unlike anything we might have experienced here at home. The festivities begin at noon on December 31st with a booming cannon and a mounting crescendo of noisemakers. As night comes, bright tracer flashes cut across the sky and, finally, at midnight, the cheers go up, and there is lots of hugging and kissing and dancing in the streets. But that's not all.
Those who have spent New Year's Eve in Rome say that the celebrations are unlike anything we might have experienced here at home. The festivities begin at noon on December 31st with a booming cannon and a mounting crescendo of noisemakers. As night comes, bright tracer flashes cut across the sky and, finally, at midnight, the cheers go up, and there is lots of hugging and kissing and dancing in the streets. But that's not all.
The Romans think New Year's Eve is an appropriate time to rid themselves of the old and take on the new. In the past, some of their New Year's traditions have included throwing old, worn-out things from their windows -- a cracked dish, a broken chair, and so on. Visitors were warned, quite seriously, to stay indoors to avoid being hit by one of the flying objects during "Throw Away Time."
Let me suggest that we resolve on this New Year's Day to adopt a "Throw Away Time" for getting rid of the tired-old thoughts and attitudes that infiltrate our lives. Perhaps a good resolution would be establishing a nightly ritual of deliberate thought -- emptying our minds and hearts for the coming day. There we could summon up all the resentments, jealousies, anxieties, and feelings of depression of the day and visualize them being thrown out of the window of our consciousness.
Let me suggest that we resolve on this New Year's Day to adopt a "Throw Away Time" for getting rid of the tired-old thoughts and attitudes that infiltrate our lives. Perhaps a good resolution would be establishing a nightly ritual of deliberate thought -- emptying our minds and hearts for the coming day. There we could summon up all the resentments, jealousies, anxieties, and feelings of depression of the day and visualize them being thrown out of the window of our consciousness.
As a pin cushion for more than a fair share of mental and emotional trash, I'm going to take my own advice...Out the nearest window it all goes from now on. Let the universe deal with it!
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