Locals make New Year’s resolutions
The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, New Year’s was first celebrated in ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago. The Romans continued to observe the New Year, and in late March 153 BC, declared Jan. 1 to be the beginning of the New Year.
With the coming of the new year, many people start to think of what they would like to try and get done, such as painting the house or taking the long put-off trip.
Others are more personal, such as mending a long-lost friendship or working to become healthier.
Some Shepherdstown residents have already figured out what to resolve in the new year.
Janell Zurschmeide had a two-word resolution.
“No sugar,” she said.
As of Jan. 1, 2011, Zurschmeide is going to swear off of sugar. She hopes by doing this that she will become healthier.
Molly Burtner, who works in Hagerstown, had a resolution that could also be put simply.
“Eat healthier,” she said.
She wants to live a robust life and she thinks one of the best ways to do this is by eating more sensibly.
Shane Harris wants to become a better runner. He wants to improve his speed on the track in hopes of joining the U.S. Navy.
“I want to become a really, really fast runner,” he said.
Ashley Hoffman loves photography and thinks that a life story could be told through pictures.
“My resolution is to take a picture every day of the year. I’ll start on Jan. 1 and take pictures until Dec. 31, 2011,” she said.
Shane Yarrington, a researcher who graduated from Shepherd University this past spring, is working to get into medical school.
“My resolution is to do well on the MCAT test,” he said. “I need to do well to get into medical school in the fall.”
But not everyone maintains their resolutions.
Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, found during a study that 78 percent of people kept their resolutions.
He wrote in an article, “People either fulfill there resolutions or by the end of January most people have forgotten them.”