Table of Contents

THE TYPICAL NEW YEAR’S EVE GOAL—RESOLUTIONS

GOAL OF LEAVING SOMETHING BEHIND

DESTROYING THE GRAPES OF WRATH GOAL

STEPS TO WORK ON THE GRAPES OF WRATH GOAL

LAST THOUGHTS ON MY GOAL

My goal for the new year arrived bizarrely on Christmas Eve—a sign from the Universe. The evening started innocently enough. After enjoying a Manhattan made of rye and a chicken pot pie, hubby and I watched The Bishop’s Wife. For the uninitiated, the 1947 movie highlights a bishop who becomes so focused on his career and building a cathedral that he ignores his family and the meaning of faith. With an angel’s help, he realizes the importance of human connection.

Then, things got weird.

THE TYPICAL NEW YEAR’S EVE GOAL—RESOLUTIONS

Making New Year’s resolutions is standard fare for me. However, last week, my therapist asked what I would toss away from 2024 and what I would keep. I could only focus on what I would keep—my writing. What to toss eluded me.

Note: Yes, I see a therapist. Because of the weight of aging and other demands plus my chronic depression, I have found therapy an effective way to work through my angst and keep myself on an even keel.

GOAL OF LEAVING SOMETHING BEHIND

During the movie, flashes from our picture windows distracted me. Afterwards I walked out on my party porch and into the most impressive light show I have ever seen. No rain: simply streaks of lightning, at times, illuminating the ranch as if it were day. Thunder pulsed.

My mind immediately went to the Battle Hymn of the Republic by Julia Ward Howe (1862):

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

But the universe’s warning became more intense, dumping almost five inches of rain as well as hail that banged nerve rackingly on the tin roof. Lights flickered when thunderous booms hit nearby. A tornado warning sent us huddling in the bathroom for thirty minutes.

MESSAGE RECEIVED!

DESTROYING THE GRAPES OF WRATH GOAL

The grapes of wrath, according to Merriam-Webster, is defined as

: an unjust or oppressive situation, action, or policy that may inflame desire for vengeance.

: an explosive condition.

And, I realize, the presidential election has not shut down the incendiary divide between red and blue in this country. One only needs to read the letters to the editor column in our local newspaper after the election. One writer portrays Trump as a con artist while another characterizes those voting for Kamala Harris as misinformed, stupid, and ignorant of the facts.

Fine. I’ll admit it. Some days I must stifle my desire for vengeance. I daydream about unleashing a scathing rebuttal in Letters to the Editor to those who see things differently. But, in the long term, anger and angst are destructive to my health.

STEPS TO WORK ON THE GRAPES OF WRATH GOAL

According to The Conversation, we should try the following steps:

Listen first. We must listen to what the other side says so we can understand their point of view. Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is important. That does not mean we must agree.
Be curious, not dogmatic. This is not a time to prove you are right.
Burst out of your bubble. All of us need to examine our assumptions objectively. Explore alternative views by interacting with social media and news information we would not normally consume.

Additionally, rather than shun those on the other side of the divide, we should focus on what we have in common rather than what tears us apart. While we are different in many ways, emotions unite us as humans. The six basic emotions of all homo sapiens are sadness, happiness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust.