Hey, Paul!, It's almost midnight!
Exciting! You know, don't you wonder why January 1st is when we mark the New Year?
Actually, it goes back to the Roman consuls(执政官;永久债券). Their terms began on January 1st, signifying(代表;预示) the start of the year.
Wow, that was sure lost to the sands of time(时间的流逝)! Now it's purely ceremonial(仪式的;正式的;礼仪的).
That's okay. Cultural artifacts like this bring meaning to our past and present relationships.
Reminds me of the New Year's song Auld Lang Syne:reminiscing(追忆) about old times with friends, closing a chapter of life.
And opening another! Temporal landmarks help us plan for the future.
Ah, like a birthday. We see our future selves as distinct from the present.
Exactly, so it gives us the pretense of control to ease anxiety and motivate us to be better.
Pretense or not, 2020 was a doozy(不同寻常的 通常指不好的事情), so I'm ready to wipe the slate clean(重新开始)!
At least until we break our New Year's resolutions! Touché! Oh, and Happy New Year!