Another New Year is upon us, with today being the last Sunday of 2024. Incidentally, 2024 was a leap year and the next one will come along only in 2028. The year that dawns in just three days has the usual 365 days, but every day will bring new opportunities.
When our Features Editor asked me to write an article on New Year Resolutions, the first thing that came to my mind was that people hardly follow through with these. Thus the first new year resolution should be to stick to them throughout the year, instead of forgetting them by the second week of January, which is what usually happens.
The best remedy is to keep and make notes on a journal, either electronic (download one to your tablet or smartphone) or physical so that you can keep track of your progress over the next 12 months. Sometimes even the best-laid plans can go haywire, so keep room for any unexpected hiccups. And be spontaneous too when life demands it. Treat every day as a challenge to take head-on.
This year perhaps marked a proper end to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the Coronavirus coming down to the level of other viruses that cause the flu and the common cold. This means that Covid -19 still exists, though at a much reduced level.
This is our cue to continue good health practices. Protecting your health should be a priority in the New Year. If you still wear masks, do not feel shy about it. It is indeed advisable to wear a mask if you are feeling sick, lest others also get it if you are having an infectious disease carried through the air.
A health practice such as washing hands frequently with hand wash liquid or soap can also keep you off from various other diseases such as the common cold, which is also caused by a type of Coronavirus.
Healthy food practices
Stick to a healthy diet, do plenty of exercise including walking, drink plenty of water, sleep well and do a health check-up especially if you are over 40 or if your family members have a genetic history of diseases such as heart ailments. Invest in tech such as a blood pressure monitor or even a smartwatch with built-in health indicators that can foretell whether there is a change in your health patterns. This is vital as we have to be wary of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and heart disease. But once in a while, indulge in the pleasures of life such as a decadent dessert. After all, barring reincarnation, you only live once. So live it to the fullest and enjoy every moment.
But we have to think beyond ourselves and ponder the challenges we are facing as humankind. Climate Change is bigger than any of us and is a global issue. This is especially relevant for Sri Lankans as we live on an island susceptible to the vagaries of Climate Change. One might assume that we as individuals would be rather helpless to do anything about it. This is far from the truth as there are plenty of steps we can take on our own to save Planet Earth, one thing at a time.
Just switching off an unwanted light bulb can save a lot of energy, which is usually generated by thermal power plants in this country. If just 1,000 households do that daily, there will be a discernible effect on the emissions from thermal power plants, which in turn will help mitigate Global Warming. In any case, saving power is also good for the purse.
Likewise, if we use public transport for short or long journeys instead of using a private vehicle, we can save both energy and money. Imagine the fuel savings if just 1,000 vehicles are kept off the roads for even one day. And if you are hoping to buy a new car when the Government allows vehicle imports in February 2025, resolve to go for an electric one. Better still, install a solar charger to make it a truly green investment.
There are other simple steps that we can take, in accordance with the Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle (3Rs) mantra. Taking a reusable bag for grocery shopping and buying only recyclable or glass bottles are two good ideas. This is nothing new – as a child of the 70s and 80s, I remember going to the corner store and handing over the empty soft drink bottle to the mudalali to get a new one. That was recycling in action, even though we did not know anything about it.
Cook or buy only the minimum amount of food you need to reduce kitchen waste. Buy local products as much as possible because their Carbon footprint is much lower – if you buy canned fish produced in Chile, imagine the distance it has traversed to get to your shopping cart. Moreover, you save foreign exchange when you buy locally produced goods, which is good for the Exchequer.
In the new year, try to make reading a bigger part of your life. I, for one, have given up on buying printed or dead-tree books mainly because I have no more space in the racks for physical books. But no e-book can come close to the “feel” of a printed book. If you do have space for a few more books, go for it. Look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo in the book before you buy – this way, you are assured that the paper pulp has been sourced from sustainably grown forests.
Develop a passion for reading
Try different categories of books, from historical fiction to science. Refer to the many “Best Books of 2024” lists in international publications to select the books that you may be interested in. If you would rather not spend a good amount of money on books but still want to read some in the new year, both Amazon and Google have a good number of books available for download free of charge. I have already loaded my Kindle with 20 or so books that will suffice at least until March. If you are pressed for time to read, try audiobooks which you can listen to at any time – even while you are working, though it is best if your boss or employer does not come to know about it.
Give music too a chance in the new year. Life is not complete without music. Again, go for different genres from Classical to Rock. Listening to soulful music can help you to relax and reduce hypertension. Streaming is convenient, but it simply does not match the quality of physical media such as Vinyl and CD (the same goes for video streaming vs Blu Ray). Try to add some physical music titles to your collection. And invest in a high-quality pair of headphones if you do not have one already. Your ears will thank you.
Give travel, either locally or overseas, a chance in the New Year. There is nothing like travel for discovering people and places and even yourself. Look for off-beat destinations without going to tourist hotspots. Granted, it is an expensive hobby but a worthwhile one.
You can also begin a new hobby, from building Lego blocks to watching movies. There are plenty of building blocks sets for adults with which you can create everything from a Japanese Zen Garden to a Star Wars spaceship. If you have a library of movies that are waiting to be spun in your Blu-ray or DVD player, give them a go. It is also easy to learn a foreign language online – which will also come in handy if and when you travel.
Be creative
You can also try your hand at creative writing (prose and verse) and most newspapers including the news paper you are reading are willing to accommodate such creations by newbies. The only limit is your imagination itself.
It is also time to discover one’s spiritual side. You need not necessarily be religious to do so. Meditation is easy to practise regardless of one’s religious beliefs (or the lack of it) and will literally set your mind at ease. It will also give you a good night’s sleep. It is also likely to make you a mellower person overall. And if you smoke, quit immediately – there is no other bad habit that even comes close in terms of what it can do to your health. Likewise, if you are addicted to alcohol, give it up altogether or cut back. No amount of alcohol is good for health, according to the latest research.
Spirituality can also mean gaining other qualities such as kindness and compassion towards other human beings and animals. If you have never had a pet before, why not let one in, in the New Year? Pick a stray kitten or puppy off the street or from an animal shelter and see it grow – and grow on you. If you can, add a human baby to the mix and watch them share life together. It will be a joyous experience.
And there are numerous ways in which you can express your kindness to others – sometimes without spending a cent. Helping a visually handicapped person or an old person to cross the road does not take much of your time, yet it is enormously satisfying. There are many charitable causes that you can contribute to if you have money to give away.
In the New Year, we all have to think of the environment. Thus one New Year resolution can be about living a more frugal life from an environmental perspective. Grow some plants and vegetables if you have the space in your garden and even in your apartment – this aligns well with the authorities’ plans to grow a million trees or more and moreover, any leftover foods can be turned into compost for fertilising the plants.
At a personal level, we should all strive to make a fresh start in the New Year. Life is short and there is no time to hold grudges. It is better to mend the fences and move on. Achieving inner peace is the best that can happen to you in the New Year. Make it happen.
