Strangely, we often feel as though our real life is the one just around the next corner … or the next … or the next, when we will have finally sorted everything out. We think that around the next bend lies a life in which we will have amended our bad habits, found the perfect partner, achieved a financially stable and secure existence, and be–at long last–content. Real life is not configured to support these ideals.

The ritual of beginning again on the cusp of a year past, and the budding new one is important. It functions as a timely reminder to practice resilience; to take courage, and to care enough to get up and try again. Our lives are worth caring about, but we don’t always treat them with the consideration and respect they deserve …