The day of New Year’s Eve appears much like other days in the year, cleaning, cooking before parties, and exchanging messages with friends. As the clock draws closer to 12 a.m., the realization dawns that a new year is upon us; ’25s turn to ’26s on calendars, and summer break doesn’t seem as far as previously thought. We’ll be older, one step closer to adulthood, closer to detaching from our parents’ house. We’ll hopefully be a bit wiser, offering lessons to younger students whose parents tell them to look up to us. People tout their resolutions; you’ll often hear “new year, new me” because a new year presents an opportunity to forget those embarrassing moments, when we got hit by a bike outside of Paresky Commons or proudly built an argument on an incorrect assumption, only to get fact-checked later. We try to scrub away childish things that were said or the bad grades we’ve received. Yet, there’s some level of discomfort with maturing and aging. More things will be expected of us; there will be more responsibilities to shoulder. Shouldn’t we be a bit worried too? Just as we had been getting accustomed to things, like the school year starting and the cold weather, the new year seems to arrive and throw us off, even though only one number’s changed on the calendar.
As we try to present ourselves as being more mature and more patient, we often look far into the events of the new year in hopes of getting ahead on planning out goals. The reality is that this may cause us to incessantly worry about daunting tasks, like the dreaded Upper year or an upcoming driving test — they suddenly seem closer than they were just a few weeks ago. With the arrival of the new year, it’s too easy to get lost in all that’s to come; the good, like summer vacation, or even the scary things, like Upper year. Though New Year’s is often associated with change, the reality is that nothing significant changes between December 31st and January 1st, so why does it suddenly seem that certain events are closer now than they were? We should keep ourselves grounded in the moments we experience now, whether it’s a math test or messing around with friends, allowing our worries to subside.
Holding a paper plate on New Year’s felt the same as it’s always been, with the same family-friends, the same foods, and the same cheers as the clock strikes twelve. This moment is one of many in my life that I can’t imagine being different. Future-related anxiety isn’t only about messing up in the future, but also the idea that with this comes a cost of changing relationships and dynamics. Upon seeing all of these kids I’ve grown up with, I felt that everything would be wildly different in the new year. That growing older is an imminent threat that’ll take away these traditions we share — even when I didn’t feel that way just two weeks ago. The truth is that these changes have been happening gradually; rather than just watching things unfold, I’ve been growing too. When I look back on previous years, I can’t recall what I was scared of, because being focused on the present is confirmation that change worked out well. Instead of worrying about the day when New Year’s will no longer be a shared tradition, this past time, I cherished the moments spent welcoming 2026 together. By enjoying the good in the present, we become less worried about change and acknowledge all the things that are special to us.
Though the coming year will be teeming with uncertainty, tension, and enjoyment too, I find solace in knowing that certain moments, like the joy of New Year’s Eve, will happen again. Though school years have passed and family has been close and far, my friends and I reconvene at the parks just like when we were three, rewatch shows on whoever’s couch, and there will always be an excited puppy greeting me when I’m home. Even when the routines we experience may change, space for the new will open up. There are always things to anticipate in our daily lives, so we cannot remain stuck on a future that isn’t much closer than it was before the new year. Let the constants in life and the joys of what’s happening today calm our nerves about the future — because, much like years before, we won’t always realize when change is happening.
