A New Year, Some New/Old Thoughts

In my 74^th year now, I reflect back on so many "New Years" and they begin to merge and meld into one another. No one stands out at this point and that somewhat saddens me. It reminds me that as I age I start letting many things "go" or just slip and slide away. Not least among these things are New Year resolutions.
When I was younger, I usually wrote down (on the last day or two of the old year) three to four resolutions on which I would focus during the next year. This was almost a ritual for me and I gave much thought to the practice. But about two years ago I decided that the ideal and the real were not in sync and that I had no heart anymore for continuing this practice. Living day to day as best I can seems enough of a goal now—probably always has been. St. Benedict did not require his monks to make New Year resolutions, I note, and this seems to indicate that we are to live daily in the presence of God and one another with love, patience, perseverance, and prayerfulness. That's enough to focus on—in any year and any time. Carol Berg, OSB