For the most part, I believe that New Year’s Day is just another day and that marking it as a day of resolutions or notable annual change is a societal construct that doesn’t work well for me. I mostly believe that resolutions are premeditated ways to feel guilt and shame in about a month when all of our resolutions to eat better, exercise more, read more and be better humans fall apart. My favorite resolution is the one I made about 8 years ago to always have a nice bottle of wine in my home for when guests come–that is a resolution that I have continued ever since then. I really admire folks who have taken on the practice of invoking a word to center their year–like discovery or integrity or centering.
For your UUCP staff team, our resolutions are the ones that we set at the beginning of our program year, as that is our collective new year. Our words were TRUST, CONSISTENCY, and ENGAGEMENT. We are working to always build trust with each other and you. We are working to have consistently strong worship, music, programming for all ages, and support for you–especially after the last few years which have felt disorienting for many people. And we are working hard to build engagement–with our folks in-person and those still online, those who have been at UUCP for a long time and those who are new and those who were engaged during the pandemic and those who are coming back in new ways.
I’d love to hear what your thoughts about resolutions are, what your word of the year is, and what your intentions are moving into this year. And whatever they are, I am thrilled by the opportunity for UUCP to be a part of them.