Welcome in January and the New Year!
The name-giver for the first month of the year is the Roman god Janus. He is the God of all beginnings and endings, doorways, transitions, and time. With his two faces, he looks into the future and the past at the same time. In the beginning of the New Year, we often find ourselves setting resolutions for the future based on the things that we did not accomplish in the past year. In many ways, we are all a bit like Janus. A half of the time we spend worrying about the future and putting pressure on ourselves to achieve our goals. The other half, we are regretting the past and wish we could do things differently.
Unlike Janus, we can choose our faces, so use this edition as a reminder to have a third face that stays in the present, even if it is sometimes difficult to enjoy your time to the fullest in the dark winter month. You can find little reminders in the form of Janus on our pages. Maybe you can find them between the articles that teach you more about winter depression, New Year’s resolutions, beavers and video games. Or little Janus figures hide inside different types of poetry. Some of you can even read your own haiku!
Get inspired by the variety of the articles and poetry and enjoy the beginning of our New Year 2024!
Fiona Schaumann