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What is the Deal? Do you need to buy a birthday, anniversary or holiday gift? Visit the Galleria! January 5, 2003 What is the deal with the New Year? By Jan A. Larson The turning of the calendar to a new year is an arbitrary event. In fact the date on which a new “year” started has been January 1 since just the middle of the 18th century. If the series of events and decisions that led to our modern day use of the Gregorian calendar had been slightly different, we might celebrate the start of the new year on March 1 or July 1 or November 1. Be that as it may, the end of one year and the start of the next involves more than simply tearing off another page of the calendar. The new year marks the end of the holiday season – the gifts have been put in the closet, returned or broken. The parties are over and it’s time to work off those extra pounds. The new year means returning to jobs or to school. It marks the end of the tax year for most individuals and businesses and the realization that tax day will be here soon. The new year also marks the end of one year of our lives and the beginning of another. It is a time of reflection and anticipation. What did we accomplish in the last year? Was it a good year or a bad one? Would we like to live it over again or would we rather put it behind us? Many people make new years resolutions. Some keep them, many do not. Resolutions are a good way to set goals and provide a mechanism to look forward to the future. People generally are happier and more productive when they have goals so, assuming the new years resolutions aren’t forgotten on January 2, they can be worthwhile. Of course, resolution must be reasonable to be worthwhile. A goal of losing 100 pounds or doubling one’s salary in the next year may not be reasonable and such resolutions simply set one up for failure. Many people make resolutions are not resolutions at all. They are pie in the sky wishes. No one will lose 10 pounds, never mind 100, by wishing them away. Resolutions, that is those things we resolve to do, are only accomplished by making up your mind to realize them. Keep your number of resolutions reasonable, keep them realistic and make 2003 the year that you accomplish your new years resolutions. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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