I don’t usually bother to make New Year resolutions. As best as I can tell, I haven’t done so for at least the last three years. It has always just seemed so arbitrary to make large changes and big promises on a day that, in reality, isn’t any more important than any other. I just felt that we as a society should be able to make changes whenever we need them and that waiting for some special day to do so was just a crutch. I still think this is true, to some effect. But I’m also beginning to understand the true importance of ritual, celebration, and social unity. I am starting to realize the necessity of patterns and the importance of outward representation of inner change.

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