Fireworks

     Did you feel it? How was it? Honestly, I don’t quite get the “Happy New Year” thing. When the clock struck 12, I was waiting for some sort of cosmic energy to move through my body like lightening. I was expecting to receive a text message telling me that all of my bills were paid. Honestly, the people that loved me yesterday, love me today and vice versa. My debt will still be waiting for me on tomorrow when everything is back to normal. My “desire to do better” occurs every single day that I wake up or at least it should. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely appreciate the day off, because now I can catch up on some much needed rest, but the turning of a new year does not make me want to go to the gym any more than it did yesterday. Now for 2015, there are certain things that I am absolutely looking forward to, like family member’s graduations, vacations, springtime and things like that, but things don’t just happen by osmosis, goals must be attained, therefore we must work at them with diligence to make them happen. Many times we get brainwashed by the “lights, camera, action” of the man-made rituals that create a false reality of existence. If all of these things are so wonderful, why do most people need an excessive amount of alcohol to create a true sense of enjoyment to cope? I’m all for having a good time, but if you have to always be sedated to fool yourself into enjoyment, maybe what you’re doing isn’t really working. The whole idea of wiping the slate clean is great for the "New Year", but I am so imperfect that I can’t afford to wait until 12/31 of any year to do it. Do you know how filthy I would be if I did that? I have to do a daily assessment of my thoughts and my behavior so that I can be better from January to June and from June to December. The problem with “New Year’s Resolutions” is that by February 1st or before, most people have already reverted back to the same behavior that they promised to change in the New Year. Most of 2014, many communities have been chanting #blacklivesmatter, #handsupdon’tshoot, #Ican’tbreathe and other slogans that were created due to issues that existed in the 60’s and unfortunately still present today. Racism, sexism, police brutality and other issues are not reason’s to celebrate anything, they are reasons to keep fighting for the injustices that have become an all too familiar scenario trending up and down my social media timeline. The murder rate in my city is still over 200 for 2014 and I'm sure it will be slightly more after the final count. This just further lets me know that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I heard many people screaming, I made it!!! Was January 1, 2015 your destination? Were you planning on dying today? I don’t know about you, but I have to work tomorrow and I am looking forward to this weekend so that I can have 2 more days off to rest and do things that need to get done. I’m just sayin’, we weren't hostages of 2014. we made some good and bad decisions last year. These were called choices. Will we make good and bad decisions this year? Probably, and these will be called choices as well. I’m in no way saying that we should not get together with loved ones, have a good time, go to church, fall in love and list our goals, I’m just saying that we should do it all the time and not just on the last day of the year at midnight. Life is too short to wait for a “moment” to change. Think about how many people never got to experience the countdown before the big moment!!! Today, tomorrow and the days ahead are all new, so instead of wishing everyone a “Happy New Year” take a moment every day to wish yourself and your loved ones a “Happy New You”. This is a reminder that each day is a new chance to become better, reach a goal, start a new project and tell as well as show someone that you love them. I’m convinced that somebody did not get to see 2015. People were drinking and driving and doing all kinds of irresponsible things to celebrate the coming of the New Year. My question is did this midnight moment have a positive impact on your life? Did you morph into a better person or did you do something that might create some brand new remorse in the “New Year”? Has your conversation changed or have you unpacked an packed all of the same bags of issues that you carried around with you during the previous 10 or more "New Year's Eves"? It's exhausting! How will you feel when you realize that you drank too much or spent too much money during the holidays, chasing the same temporary high that is now long gone? Every day when we “Wake Up” we need to “WAKE UP”! As you celebrate the “New You” take some time to build healthy relationships, cleanse old habits, break the cycle of meaningless rituals, and stand for something positive and purposeful. The “Cinderella For a Day Syndrome” is fiction not fact! If you don’t do the work, the only things that turns at midnight are the hands on the clock! Happy New You!