Letter To A New Year

Dear New Year,

Welcome to the land of the living. Your ancestors have come and gone and they've left with the ills and goods they brought us. I hope yours would be less stressful but successful than the previous years.

I know upon your arrival, you've heard the plans of people; the "new year, new me" wannabes, the 'I give myself away" giants, the "my year of determination" squad, among  others. It is normal dear. You can refer to the handing over files your predecessors left behind. You would find the same thing in it.

Just ignore those people, they are like that. All those things you see there are called New Year Resolutions meant as a way of motivating someone to doing new things but my friend relax. It is only for a week with the furthest being a month. If it exceeds a month, 3 months or 6 months, then they really mean business but the majority would just give up in 5 days. So just relax.

Some would start hitting the gym and streets this morning. It is normal. They are called the Healthy Me Group. They would get tired when they run 30 meters or do 10 push-ups. They exercise 1 out 365 days and stay healthier till the next year.

The students too are not left out dear, they go with the tag line "New Year, new term, serious me". Just observe them after a month in school, when they start receiving love letters from the opposite sex, they would forget the word resolution.

You remember the dawn of your arrival there was an altar call? You saw those who went, some of them have had their names registered in previous altar calls during the reign of your predecessors, they are called, "New year souls",. They have deleted all the worldly song from their phones. Wait till Val's Day when the cools come first and then the mid-tempos follow then the party-hard ones come. just a few are really genuine and would keep up the Christian race.

The "New Year, faithful me" group too are around. They have promised not to cheat on their partners anymore. God is watching them. We just hope the determined ones really get through it.

The last but not the least are the politicians. They renew their resolutions in church every election year. It is interesting how each election year, we have resolutions each month from this group. It is really a hot cake year and if you really meant business by charging per resolution, you can be richer than your predecessors by the end of your tenure.

To me, resolutions are necessary to make but very useless when they are unrealistic looking at your strength cos we live not by our power and might but the grace and favor from God. We therefore should ask for the divine plan of our Maker to be processed in our life. This is only possible when we seek His guidance and protection. That is when all other things will follow.

Personally, I don't make resolutions but I set for myself targets each and everyday and make sure I accomplish them. So for me, don't bother cos I won't make a resolution but on behalf of Ghanaians let me make these quick resolutions.

• We shall not misplace our Voters' I.D Card in election years.
• This is our Year of Yentie Politician Biaaaa.
• We would stop littering to avoid another June 3rd.
• We would wake up and live in harmony to keep enjoying the peace.
• May we learn not to politicize every national issue and think like eligible voters.
• We would make our football league interesting like the English Premier League.
• May we not make resolutions this year. Not to even dream of them.

Dear New Year, as you can see, the above are not mine but for Ghanaians. Some people's goals for this year is to accomplish the goals of the previous year which they failed to do the year before cos they promised to do them the year before that which was planned a year ahead of that.

Grant them the grace to carry them through successfully. God hasn't promised us that you would be smooth but we trust that we would chalk more success and excessive joy than the troubles and sorrows.

This is where I sign off, like the boys-boys would say, "As you come dieer, I go see you around so make you no shiver." Enjoy your stay but remember, Resolutions are just a week long plan for the year.

Akwaaba!!!!

Kuwakaribisha!!!!

Welcome!!!!

Bienvenue!!!

Herzlich Willkommen!!!

Sgd,

Nii Bavard

(On behalf of Team Bavard)

(Inspired by Baaba Bavard on New Year's Eve)