I’m not one to celebrate on New Year’s Eve.  Frankly, I have difficulty staying awake past midnight; and it seems I’m less inclined than a lot of people to place great significance on calendar dates.

Perhaps this results from the fact that my work has usually interfered with observances of my wife’s birthday or our wedding anniversary.  We’ve subscribed to “floating recognition” – celebrating within a week or so either way has become “close enough” for Peggy and me.

But more fundamentally, I’m not one who really sees, much less obsesses over, fixed dates on the calendar.  They’re just dates.

So, for me, today (the last day of the current year) and tomorrow (the first day of the new year) are just dates, without much symbolic meaning.  I have about as much chance today or tomorrow as any other day to make something of the day, or screw it up.

For most people, however, it seems these dates on the calendar sit like a fulcrum balancing memories of what was in 2010 against the mysteries of what may be in 2011.

People who work in or with schools are fortunate to have more than one new year.  They get a new calendar year and a new school year during each 12 month cycle.  Two chances to start over!

And people who work in school sports are even more fortunate, as each new sports season provides another chance to start anew.

Whatever your approach to these days, and no matter how many new chances each year gives you, I’m hoping you’ll make something good out of these days.  And if you screw them up, you won’t have to wait a year.  You can make up for it the next day.

In 2011, let’s enjoy 365 new beginnings.