Ah, the first Friday of the new year (when I wrote this). The champagne has been drunk, the hangovers have dissipated (I hope so), and the resolutions have been drafted. I’ve always thought January 1st to be an arbitrary and inauspicious time to figure out how to be a better person. Everyone else is doing it, which makes you feel obligated to go along with it, and obligation is not a very strong motivator in this case. A few weeks later everyone is failing, which makes you feel like it’s okay if you’ve also derailed and crashed on the Self-Improvement Express. Not that I’m immune to the whole business, I have resolutions of my own.*
Anyway, it’s cold out and you have things to do and new resolutions to keep so it’s time to put your armor on and get to work. There’s a man at my gym who works out in some kind of fantasy cosplay body armor, but don’t feel obligated to go that far for a metaphor. Sunglasses and a pair of gloves are protective garments enough for New York, and will keep you safe from both natural and city-specific harm. Shield your eyes from the sun (maybe also deflecting some residual hangover aftershocks) and from any weirdos trying to make eye contact with you as you go about your business, and keep your hands safe from the bitter teeth of winter and gross subway germs. Good luck, I hope you make it at least until March.
* They are to be a better artist and a better friend. Dull, but I am pretty sure I can keep them.
