This New Year’s Day, a time for reflection

Without lavish parties or carousing at bars, more people likely are waking up this New Year’s Day without a hangover.

That’s surely a better way to start 2021, which offers all of us not just the chance to turn the page on a horrible year, but to spend Day 1 — Jan. 1 — engaged in productive activities that will set the tone for the days ahead.

Because right now, we all need good cheer and happy moments. Unfortunately, January is going to be rough.

Despite the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, the harsh days of the pandemic remain with us. Public health experts are predicting that because of gatherings and travel over the holidays, January could be the worst month of the pandemic.

Dr. Celine Gounder told CNBC people must prepare themselves for “one of the worst months in this nation’s history in January.” Gounder, a COVID-19 adviser to President-elect Joe Biden, was blunt about the nation’s prospects this month.

“There is no doubt about that,” she said. “That cake is in the oven already, with the travel that has happened over the holidays.”

The statistics are gruesome. Some 19 million Americans already have been infected, with at least 326,000 dying of COVID-19. In December, that added up to an average of 2,379 Americans dying each day. Sadly, that’s not going to change anytime soon, and likely will get worse in the months ahead before we truly turn the corner. Until enough people can receive vaccinations, it’s vital that we keep wearing masks, stay distanced, avoid indoor gatherings and wash hands.

That can be our contribution to saving lives and to controlling spread while the vaccines take hold. Meanwhile, life goes on.

Today, we can all resolve to remain resolute in the face of pandemic, economic distress and electoral uncertainty.

The world is in upheaval right now, to be sure. But we have faced uncertain, unpleasant times before — both as a nation and as a community — and eventually, we return to a better place.

And that’s what this first day of 2021 should be about, finding a better place. Or at the least, starting the journey to happiness once more.

Some might start the year making sure to eat the good-luck black-eyed peas and collard greens. Or maybe you are recommitting to health and plan to head to the hills for a hike. Your tradition might be cleaning out closets and tossing burdens, rearranging the spice shelf or sitting to write down New Year’s resolutions — complete with an action plan to turn aspirations into reality. Heck, why not spend time writing thankyou notes for Christmas presents?

It’s a day of reflection, looking ahead and believing that tomorrow can be better. Without the hangover, who knows how much more can be accomplished, on this, the first day of January in the year 2021?

This is a new beginning. Take a break — on this day at least — from the real sadness of 2020 before we return to life and the darkness ahead.