In this episode, it is my intention to help heighten our awareness of resentments, and how they may be doing us harm. Please feel free to leave a comment below, and or add to the conversation. Thanks for reading!

Hello Everyone, Welcome to the podcast “Close to the Bone.” I’m Carl Vreeland, your host. This is episode #50, it’s called, “Should Be We Saying Good Riddance to 2022?” 

As humans, we all seem to need ritual. Saying goodbye to the old year to bring in the new one is but one of them. Stuffing dolls with things that symbolize the bad events that happened. Setting on fire these dolls that are filled with regrets, mistakes, and unwanted memories that no longer serve us is but one tradition that takes place in New York City for example. This type of ritual was also one I used with my sponsor. It was how I made amends to the people I harmed that are longer alive, or their whereabouts were unknown, or by contacting them would injure them or others. So, to be clear, I’m all about ritual. My issue is with the “Good Riddance” part. There’s a bitterness behind it. And that’s concerning. But more of this in a bit.

According to yahoo!news (published December 24, 2022 on yahoo.com). . .

Many Canadians will be saying "good riddance" to 2022 as it draws to a close, a new poll suggests, with more people comparing it unfavourably to 2021. . . .

Giving this mentality further thought, it’s not difficult to see that, for one, it’s egocentric. We are judging the year as bad in this case. As if the year let us down or did us wrong. Indeed, we have taken it personally; “what a bad year you were.” Secondly, we are placing blame on the year, an abstract. Strange when you think about it. As if, we have run out of things to blame that are concrete; such as people and institutions. Thirdly, we are playing the victim. And in turn, have a resentment toward the year. Think about it; a culture that blames a year? And what of us? Are we playing the blame game in life? Are we playing the victim? Are going as far as blaming, again, an abstract; a year? Further, are we perhaps not taking responsibility for our own actions? Are we not accepting of life on life’s terms? Are we taking what happens in life, that we are powerless over, such as loss, illness, viruses, and death, personally? Are we holding resentments toward others, toward institutions, toward life, or maybe even God?

Now you might say, “Carl, lighten up, this “Good Riddance” ritual is all in fun.” Well, maybe so. But I believe it’s worth looking at. As I do most