New Year Optimism

Welcome to 2012! At 11:59 PM on December 31, 2011, people all over the world came together to watch firework displays, open bottles of champagne, attend parties, all to celebrate the New Year. In London, jaws dropped when an 11 minute firework show set perfectly to music, lit the sky on the South Bank. Across the pond in New York City, a sea of people from not just the U.S, but all over the world, huddled together in Times Square to watch the ball drop.

These firework displays are not just an annual tradition, but seen by many as a beautiful start to a new year. It gives them hope that maybe this year will be better than the last (just like the song). This past year was admittedly not a great one for many people. From natural disasters to world-wide economic turmoil, we would like to leave that all behind, as difficult as that may be. Start the new year off with a big bang (that’s the cue for the fireworks to start)!

I like to see each new year as the start of a new race or a challenge. Except I’m not competing against other people, I’m competing against myself. It’s a challenge to make this year better than the previous. The fireworks are like a starter pistol. From the drop of the ball at midnight, all you can hope for is that you keep your race cadence for the 365 days ahead of you and everything works out. Not every year is better than one’s prior, we all have our up’s and down’s. Many years I feel as though I’ve come in last place. But I always look forward to the bright skies on New Year’s Eve. It’s a wonderful time to be optimistic about the twelve months ahead of you. Cheers to a better 2012!

By Kai Dadian