New Year, Old Joys
Musings about the tradition of new year resolutions, removing extra from extracurricular and paws and processors...
Hello, hello!
We are 13 days in 2025, and its time to celebrate Uttarayan! Are you still writing 2024 in dates, or is it too early to make that shift?
And how are your 2025 resolutions shaping up? Have you ever wondered who came up with the ritual anyway?
I read about it.
The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions dates back over 4,000 years to ancient Babylon, where people pledged to repay debts and earn divine favor for the planting season. The Romans later adopted this practice, dedicating January 1st to Janus, their god of beginnings, and vowing to live virtuously.
As Christianity spread, these resolutions took a spiritual turn with “Covenant Renewal Services,” encouraging reflection and personal accountability. Today, the tradition has evolved into setting goals; whether for fitness, career, or self-improvement—reflecting our universal hope to grow and start anew.
Though many resolutions fizzle out by February (or within a few weeks of January), the act itself is a beautiful reminder of our enduring optimism and belief in fresh starts.
Every year brings another chance to try again.
So does every day. But yeah, you do you! :)
And in case you missed reading my 2024 year end note, you can check it out here.
Losing your mind
Extracurriculars in school were our warm-up laps for the gam(bl)e of life.
Painting clubs, football fields, debate societies. Each a tiny universe where we learned to dream, fail, and thrive.
But here’s the bittersweet truth: as we adult (or at least try), those hobbies, those joys, slip away. Why? And more importantly, why should we get them back?
So, here’s the million-dollar question: why don’t we bring these allies into adulthood? What if your old watercolor kit could soothe those late-night worries better than scrolling Instagram?
I am seeing a lot of my friends and acquaintances trying to find newer hobbies. Pickleball is one of them. Pottery is another. :)
Extracurriculars should have “extra” in them to be honest. They’re anchors and have been, at least for me.
My hobbies have reminded me how to lose ourselves in something simple and beautiful—something adulting rarely offers. I have been thrilled about restarting tabla, and being religious about it.
A friend (Chetan Mendhe) recently put it best: mindfulness is about losing it, immersing yourself so deeply in the present moment that the noise quiets and clarity shines through.
Maybe it’s time to pick up the guitar again, sign up for a pottery class, or even dust off your chessboard. Not because you have to, but because somewhere, the kid you once were is still cheering for you, saying, “See? We learned this for a reason.”
Hobbies are all about letting them grow with you, for you! 😊
Inkspirations this month:
The story of a Buddhist Mandala Rangoli
My debut contribution to Weekly Olio - Paws and Processors
Keeping it raw -
Until the thirteenth,
Writeously yours,
Shalaka Kulkarni