Editor’s Note

When discussing the impending new year, my sister-in-law brought up Charlie Brown, the despondent child she grew up watching in cartoons. She mentioned something Charlie often said which in its simplicity rings true: “You know, I’ve always dreaded the year ahead. This time, I’m only going to dread one day at a time.”

Most people would agree this past year has been one hell of a ride, but for the year ahead she says she’s resolved to “not dread”.

She added: “Though it may be simplistic, I want to acknowledge Rodney King, whose beating at the hands of four Los Angeles police officers was a catalyst for the LA riots in 1992. King himself publicly appealed to Los Angeles residents to stop fighting. He stood outside a Beverly Hills courthouse with his lawyer and implored: ‘People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Please can we get along?’”

As far as resolutions go, that sounds like a pretty good one for the year ahead. At dinner, on the final night of the year, we go around the table and everyone offers theirs. Last year, my resolution was to swim at every opportunity. Going for a swim is something I’ve never regretted, especially in the early morning in the icy Atlantic waters off Cape Town. This year, I resolve to make more time for reading.

Of course, when we go around the table making our resolutions, there are bound to be the usuals: exercise more, drink less, get to bed earlier ... which reminds me of a quote by the Canadian painter FM Knowles, who said: “He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; he who makes one is a fool.”