There’s a blessing for beer!

While the title has very little bearing on what I’m prepared to write, it was a very interesting fact that I learned in 2014.
For those interested, the blessing can be found here: http://www.catholicgentleman.net/2013/10/the-official-catholic-beer-blessing/

I always find New Year to be an interesting time. For one more evening in Christmastide, we lean towards bringing out the best in ourselves with New Year’s resolutions. We aim to be better in one way shape or form and who am I to criticise this?

In fact, I would criticize two things:

1. How genuine are we in making these promises. For all we may claim that it is the thought that counts, it is not the thought that we take stock of when we feel the guilt of failure two weeks down the line.
2. New year is considered a marker for new beginnings. What happened to the other 364 days?

My greatest worry is the latter, that we forget in the other 364 days of the year that we have the power to make little changes and should strive to do so. Perhaps instead of a New Year’s resolution we could make a plan for how to achieve our NYR?

How good could we feel if in two weeks time, we know where we want to be by the end of 2015?
How tough would it be to dedicate some wall-space to a graph showing where we are and where we aim to be over time?

I’ll start the ball rolling. My NYR is to learn more humility.
When do I start? Two weeks ago in Ampleforth where I found a template: St Benedict’s 12 steps to humility.
How will I achieve my NYR? With a small poster on my board, I’ll reflect for 5 minutes on which steps I’m doing well in and which I’m not. Over each month, I’ll make little notches on where I think I did well.

I saw an article that essentially instructs us to forget NYRs and make a jar in which we can place all our good stories and memories from the year. At the end of the year, open the jar and realise what has happened for you over the year.
Actually, I really like that idea but rather than wait, I’ll try taking advantage of my own memory for 2014, here and now:

• I graduated! After all the fighting and wrestling, I found a love for Mathematics that brought me to a 2.1
• I directed my first play. In spite of it being labelled ‘bonkers’, I took a dear friend’s script into the Prior’s Hall of Durham Cathedral with a lively cast and had a ball!
• I began work on the PGCE. I’ve said enough on this from this blog but it suffices to say I love it!
• Edinburgh Festival. Without doubt the toughest experience I’ve ever known, but working with very close friends, stellar reviews and a stand against homophobia it was so rewarding!
• I joined novitiate for the Lay fraternity of the Dominican Order. As Fr Timothy Radcliffe would say, ‘Keep asking those questions’.
• Saw my little sister off to Uni. St Andrews, she’s about as far away as I can (lovingly) get her!

Without doubt, 2014 has been tough on many of us and it’s always tempting to look back on the tough parts and think, ‘maybe next year, none of this will happen’. Let’s not throw away an entire year of our lives. Let’s not pretend that 2015 will be our new best friend until it lets us down at the first hurdle.

But together, let’s step forward and declare every morning and evening that we want to get better; that we want to see each other get better. Let’s turn New Year’s resolutions into New Day’s resolutions. Let’s make every moment of 2015 count.

Together we will tackle the rough lows of 2015 so that together, we can bask in the highs of 2015!

Happy New Year folks