What do you mean “happy” new year?

by Rod Smith

The Mercury and to all who may read this….

Of course I want you to have a “happy” new year. What exactly do I mean?

• May you find authentic inclusion with a group of caring friends.

• May you enjoy significant connection and derive mutual satisfaction with members of your immediate and extended family and family of choice.

• May you have meaningful work, work that respectfully uses your talents, strengths and imagination.

• May your capacity for humor enrich those whom you love and bring joy.

• May you discover new and wonderful things about yourself and others despite your years of experience.

• May regret over past failures provide you with healthy awareness rather than weigh you down.

• May you be part of the solution and not part of the problem in matters large and small.

• May you become more skillful in defining your boundaries and therefore more able to love your friends, family, colleagues, strangers and foes.

• May you resist urges, subtle or gross — all of which may be socially acceptable — to exploit others to accomplish your personal or professional goals.

• May you do no harm and may no harm be done to you.

• May we be agents of peace.

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The Mercury is one of South Africa’s longest running weekday morning newspapers. It is published in KZN, a province of South Africa.

I have enjoyed the privilege of writing daily for this newspaper since March 21, 2001. This affords me the unusual joy of occasionally being able to surprise friends. Pictured below is a couple whom I married in Prague (earlier this year). A few days before the wedding I discovered they were going South Africa for their honeymoon. Here they are reading a welcome column in The Mercury while in Umhlanga.

Newly weds…..!
Greeted in The Mercury

One Comment to “What do you mean “happy” new year?”

  1. Unknown's avatar

    I’ve been marinating in all the Happy New Year messages I’ve received today, and find your message the most unique, and as usual the most challenging.
    Thank you Rod, for sharing your exceptional gifts of teaching/writing/wisdom/life with those that are privileged to know you.
    Trusting you are having a ‘cooler’ Happy New Year’s Day than I am having in this Worcester heat.
    Love that you keep me on my toes. 🥰

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