A New Year

Not sure why we become so reflective at the end of a new year. I certainly am given to mindful reflection upon the events of the past year. Janus, the Roman god of doorways, has two faces. His faces are not representative of conflicting loyalties. Rather, one face sees forward to the future and the other looks back to the past. He stands at places of transition, hence the weird doorway affiliation. In fact, the month January derives from the name Janus. It becomes apparent that the importance of this transition from one year to the next is not lost on humanity, regardless of the century in which you live. Every year I look so hopefully into the future as if it will manifest as I have conceived of it in my mind's eye. And every year I envision the same transformations happening. I hope for the usual things; better paying job, good health, weight loss, etc. The future is so intriguing, isn't it? It is something that has not come to pass, good or bad. It is full of hope. But why do I look back on last year's future with such disappointment? What would have made it better? I'm thinking about that right now...