Thank you 2016 and hello 2017.

As 2016 is coming to an end, a friend asked me to share my New Year’s Resolution or any thoughts about the passing year. At this time of the year, I do think about these things a great deal more in a way of reflections. But I actually don’t spend much time making New Year resolutions. I pay more attention to what happened this year not so much to what will happen in the unknown New Year. 
 
When I say “reflections”, I don’t mean “regrets” or self-criticisms. I prefer to look back on what was lived through, good or bad. I like to appreciate the time given to me, and the experiences I received from 2016. Sure, there were difficult and challenging times in 2016; but isn’t it almost over now? I am sure there were good memories to keep and savor. We can also be sure that those bad times are done and gone; and we still have good times to look forward to in 2017.
 
Yes, reflections do include things we didn’t get to do, or did badly. So, naturally we will avoid them in the new year without clinging to what couldn’t be helped, which will actually take away the joy of the new beginnings and happy happenings coming to us in the new year.    
 
When I was a kid in China, during end of school year or graduation, teachers and elders usually encouraged us with words like: Be as “ the new sun and changed moon.” I just accepted them as well meant encouragement without analyzing the actual words. Now looking at these Chinese characters again, I finally realized what they meant, and see the cycles of the sun and moon that mark our days and years with different eyes. If we think of the sun at dawn and the moon at dusk appearing to us as new ones each day and night, we would not take things for granted and will find new inspirations and new hope for each passing cycle in our lives for years to come.

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