January brings a host of new beginnings as one year of life comes to a close and we welcome another chapter.
As college students at Northeastern we are either starting a new semester of classes or embarking on six months spent working in the real world. And as the ball dropped less than a week ago, thus ending 2007, I’m sure many people stopped to reflect on the past year as well as make New Year’s resolutions.
Last year was a tumultuous one. We are still fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; we know more information than we could have ever imagined about Britney Spears’ personal life; the Red Sox won the World Series; the list goes on and on.
How did your life change during the past year? I know it is clich’eacute;, but I have grown as a person. Co-op changed my life and now I realize I can survive in a full-time job. I am completely content in my career path and have a plan for the future. Before 2007, I had no idea what I wanted to eat for dinner, let alone have a life plan. I hope being a college student helped others come to such conclusions.
On that note, let’s exit the past and step into the future. We have a lot to look forward to in 2008. This is, of course, the year of a presidential election and the mayhem has already started. I know I am already sick of all the political ads on TV. You can’t get through a single commercial break without at least one political ad running. Another thing I know (but still refuse to accept) is the fact that there will not be any new episodes of some of my favorite TV shows because of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. And in less than a month a new Super Bowl champ will be crowned and I think many of us want to believe the Patriots will take home that honor.
And of course there is also the unknown. No one knows exactly what 2008 will bring, but everyone must take this new beginning as an opportunity and truly live every moment.
This all leads me to my last idea. A close friend brought up a good point the other night – where exactly did the tradition of setting a New Year’s resolution come from and why do we make them? People are always ambitious as a new year begins, but resolutions rarely last. Yes, the Marino Center will be packed for the first few weeks of the semester because it seems everyone resolves to lose weight each January. But give it time and a majority of those working out this month will be weeded out as they give up on their pledge.
How long before you start swearing again, eating unhealthy, spending too much money and drinking heavily? How long will you keep to your resolution?
The one thing I know for sure? Every year will end, thus forcing a new year to begin. Before long, it will be 2009. There is no stopping this natural progression, just as there is no way of stopping people from dwelling on the past, being optimistic about the future and making pointless resolutions that will never be kept.
– Ashley Traupman is a middler journalism major and member of The News Staff.
