Letter: Keep New Year's goals in perspective

In the Dec. 24 Daily Herald, Managing Editor for Administration and Opinion Jim Slusher, wrote a snippet in Our View that caught my eye. He stated how many people want Christmas to last all year, and how the wrong part often does, like post-Christmas sales, Christmas in July sales and Christmas after Halloween sales, etc. He expressed a desire that other parts would last instead, such as (paraphrasing): "The tomorrow part. The love your neighbor part. Forgiveness, understanding, peace on earth and good will toward all. It is a time to dream."

Personally, I feel that too much emphasis is placed on not only the wrong parts of Christmas, but the new year as well. It is as though turning the calendar page from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 is supposed to somehow magically transform everything and start us out with a clean slate. In reality, life only offers us a clean slate on the day we are born, after which it is an ongoing circle that only pauses briefly at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day.

Every Jan. 1, it seems that many of us want to instantly change our lives - and perhaps the entire world - for the better. And while that's a positive goal, it takes not only desire but a great deal of effort. Wishing, hoping, dreaming and praying don't really cut it without hard work. Most New Year's resolutions often fail by the end of January. Having hope for a better tomorrow is indeed something to strive for, however in the long run, it's probably better not to set the bar too high, but instead vow to try and do the very best we can each and every day of the year.

Christine McCurdy

Warrenville