New Year, New Home

New Year’s is one of those holidays that can be anti-climactic because of all the hype surrounding that one magical moment when the clock strikes midnight. There is so much pressure to celebrate it in some fantastic, even over-the-top way, and additionally, there is that whole resolution issue that weighs on some of our minds.
 
In addition to thinking about the start of 2009, I also had something else bearing down on my mind this year—moving to a new city! Well, sort of. During the last couple of days of 2008, I packed up all my belongings in Brooklyn and with the help of my energetic and amazing parents, moved back to “the city,” Manhattan! Although the trip is a mere three miles across the river, the streets of the Big Apple are worlds away from those I knew in residential Brooklyn. Talk about a change of pace and change in lifestyle.
 
Because of the big move coinciding with the new year, I have that “start anew” feeling more so than any other year and I’m determined to ambitiously and graciously look forward to the changes ahead. Consequently, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about resolutions and how to go about pursuing them (of course, don't forget to check out our First30Days Ultimate Guide to New Year's Resolutions), which led me to a Wall Street Journal article that asked famous people for their resolution lists.
 
The WSJ is not exactly my go-to place for advice, but I like how this particular article started off by reflecting on Charles Dickens and his portrayal of the determination of the human spirit in a cold, sometimes bleak city. I couldn’t help but think of myself, lugging boxes in the snow with my chaffed hands, feeling overwhelmed and discombobulated. Although it’s mostly a round-up of resolutions, Nicholas Dawidoff, who penned the article, really struck me with this succinct but striking sentence: “Dicken’s best characters suggest that the story of life is in the striving, the ongoing effort to begin again and become, even for a moment, our very best selves.”
 
The stroke of midnight may be one moment and New Year’s just another day, but both are part of this “ongoing effort” and I for one hope to enjoy, appreciate, and strive for all the moments that lie ahead.

—Alicia Kachmar