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Maree’s musings

February 14, 2022 February 2022, Regular Features No Comments

ANOTHER YEAR …

I’m hoping, like me, that you looked forward to the return of our Martinborough Star for 2022. And even though January has come and gone, perhaps those inevitable New Year’s Resolutions are still fresh in your mind? As we know, plans commonly involve some sort of self-improvement, including giving up stuff we love and starting things we hope we will learn. Naturally you’ll have made at least one (see below.)

The idea of making a ‘fresh start’ has been around for ever. Well, a very long time, to be fair. We can probably blame the Babylonians for the very first official ‘resolutions’, in 2000 B.C. Just a passing thought: perhaps 4000 B.C. – before Covid, that is. Just saying …  

    Anyway, moving on. Back then, this agricultural nation facing uncertainties and the vagaries of the weather (sound familiar?), organised a spring festival of self-flagellation to appease the gods, pay debts and return ‘borrowed’ farming gear. 

The tradition caught on in ancient Rome, and with January, named after the two-faced god Janus, who looks forward for new beginnings as well as backward for reflection and resolution, as the first month of the year; January 1st seemed an appropriate day to end the frenzy of harvest partying and promise to be good. The occasion was also marked with sacrifices, so included a grand solution to the disposal of all that left-over Xmas lamb or turkey as well.

Jumping ahead to 1740 – it probably pays not to contemplate all the broken resolutions in between – John Wesley, the famous Methodist, was preaching to his possibly unwilling New Year’s congregation about how to live. Setting an example, he promised ‘never to laugh’ – presumably for a year, with an annual renewal on  the cards. Good  grief! Literally. 

Perhaps ours which also frequently choose some form of punishment or denial are an [ahem] hangover from back then. You know. ‘Lose weight.’ ‘Give up chocolate.’ ‘Join the gym.’ None of these was on my list, by the way. With daily walks down and up Dunedin hills, losing weight has not been an issue. Avoid chocolate: a definite NO. I mean – why would I? And the gym. I’m already a regular. So it was just the usual one for me: ‘Don’t Make Any’. It’s so easy to keep!

Of course there’s the positive side to resolutions. If you can’t stomach a list of negatives [see chocolate, above], you should be able to dream up a couple of new projects or hobbies to while away the lengthy lockdown times. It’s all up to you.

However, I don’t want to start sounding as virtuous as John Wesley. Heaven forbid. With Omicron banging on the door, we need all the good times we can muster, so any opportunity for a celebration which arises needs to be embraced and enjoyed. By all means add some contemplation and a bit of a rethink; there’s no harm in that. Oh, and get a booster. Now’s good. Happy New Year!

Janus the two faced God.

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