Detweiler: Time for New Year’s resolutions
So it is that time of year!
Time to make your New Year’s resolutions. Mine is the same every year: eat less, eat right, drink less and hit the gym more often.
It usually lasts till President’s Day.
My ritual: after the holidays, I do my nine-day detox, which consists of a two-day fruit juice diet followed by a seven-day “cabbage soup diet.” No alcohol, very few carbs and only black coffee is allowed. I lose 10-15 pounds and put it right back on by the time my Valentine’s Day birthday hits.
But why do we do this? How did New Year’s resolutions start? My curiosity got the best of me so I decided to hit my most trusted source on the internet: Wikipedia. I’m kidding. Well, I did check Wikipedia, but I’m joking about the “most trusted source” part. But it is a good place to start.
According to Wikipedia: “A New Year's resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behavior at the beginning of a calendar year.”
A lot of religions encouraged their congregations to make these resolutions. The Romans made New Year’s promises to the god Janus, whom January is named after. Methodists did it at a special midnight service on New Years Eve. Judaism’s new year, Rosh Hashanah started the High Holy Days, which ended with Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.
According to a 2014 study, “35% of participants who failed their New Year's Resolutions admitted they had unrealistic goals, 33% of participants did not keep track of their progress, and 23% forgot about them; about one in 10 respondents claimed they made too many resolutions.”
So good luck with your resolutions! I know I need it.
Here’s a New Year’s resolution suggestion: support your local non-profit theatre! You can be a Palace member for as little as $25 annually or buy a ticket to our next show. On Jan. 20 we are featuring “Chicks with Hits,” which stars three country music hit makers: Pam Tillis, Terri Clark and Suzy Bogguss. Great seats are still available at the box office, which you can visit in person or on the phone at 740-383-2101. Or visit our website at marionpalace.org.
Happy New Year!
Kirk Detweiler is the executive director of the Marion Palace Theatre. For more information about theatre events and activities, go to marionpalace.org.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Make the Palace Theatre part of your New Year's resolutions
