
Although we’ve all learnt over the past few years how unpredictable life can be, there’s something about a new year that makes us reflect on the experiences we’ve had and choices we’ve made over the past 12 months. It seems like the moment to begin again should we feel the pull to do something different in our lives.
Normally we think of setting resolutions, a tradition whose origins can apparently be dated back to 2000BCE and the ancient Babylonians, who celebrated their new year during a spring festival. Unlike today’s more personal resolutions, those early commitments were made as promises to deities and were about paying off debts and returning borrowed items to their rightful owners.