Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Are you ready? Well, ready or not, here it comes. Time, once again, is marching into the beginning of a new calendar, pulling us along with it. That old illustrious half-ton ball in Times Square will drop like a rock, bringing in the New Year

Did you know that there has been some sort of New Years celebration for over 4000 years? This is the oldest of holidays and was first observed in ancient Babylon with a festival that lasted for eleven days! It was those party animals, the Babylonians, who first came up with the idea to make New Year resolutions. What would those ancient resolutions consist of? The most common were promises to return borrowed farm equipment. (If you have a few garden tools in your garage that belong to your neighbor, this might be a good time to return them.)

My colleague has made a resolution to eliminate clothes shopping in 2024. (Drastic) I have a friend who has a resolution to train her Arabian for a 100-mile race (Crazy). One of my daughters wants to lose ten pounds, a grandson wants to “master” snowboarding and a close friend wants to learn to fly a plane. My sister-in-law claims she will not cook a meal for the entire year of 2024, so that she can “rest” her culinary skills and “free” herself to “do more important things.” Hmmm . . . in my house, not cooking translates to not eating.

The New Year does bring an onslaught of resolutions. Over fifty percent of Americans will consider “doing something” to improve themselves (like exercise), while about thirty percent will try to “stop something” (like eating snacks). Would you rather start exercising or give up desserts? Human behavior seems to dictate that people are far more willing to engage in an activity that they believe is “right” than to stop doing something that they know is “wrong.”

My niece wants to dye her hair red this year. She thinks that ‘life will be better” as a redhead. And I know a thirty-year-old client who wants to learn how to show jump her horse. A colleague of mine who is turning sixty in 2024 wants to jump out of an airplane (with a parachute I imagine). My older brother is taking up French. Perhaps these resolutions are important . . .they help us create who we want to become and hold the promise of a “better” self.

Hey, maybe our lives have become too mundane. A little more adventure and fun wouldn’t hurt. We might even copy others. Oh yeah, I would love to speak French and be a red head. And I have always wanted to show jump a horse. (But only if I don’t have to be riding the horse when he jumps).

So, in 2024, let’s not worry too much. Don’t stress about making resolutions. Celebrate a new beginning like the Babylonians. Give back borrowed items. Get a new calendar and fill in the blanks. Be brave. Try something different! If you see me around town with red hair, you know what happened. Happy New Year.

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.