New Beginnings In Los Cabos:

New Year Period a Time for Reflection and Resolutions

New Beginnings In Los Cabos- New years are generally ushered in amid a swirl of fiestas and family dinners, with the Champagne and fireworks of New Year’s Eve acting as grand finale for the gustatory maelstrom that is the holiday period. Unless you’re in México, of course, in which case Rosca de Reyes and additional gift openings for Three Kings’ (AKA the Three Wise Men) Day on Jan. 6 – the finish line for the nearly month-long Guadalupe – Reyes marathon – marks the official end food and beverage bingeing…at least until the traditional tamales party on Candlemas.

It’s a wonderful time, this holiday stretch, but it can also be exhausting. Not to mention fattening. By the time the smoke clears and the espantasuegras have been tossed aside, who among us isn’t ready to jot down “join a gym” or “go on a diet” as resolutions for the fledgling year? It seems a natural progression, although the awkward and too sudden transition from good-natured debauchery to nascent asceticism perhaps accounts for the unreasonably high annual percentage of unreached resolutions. You have to walk before you can run, they say, and it’s hard to do either when you’re waddling around like a pregnant penguin.

The beginning of a new year is a traditionally a time for self-reflection and attempts at self-improvement. Photo by Christopher Michel.

Although a fervent desire for healthier pursuits seems a logical enough reason to forgo additional feasting, the “self-improvement” impulse that prompts yearly resolutions owes less to merrymaking burnout than to human nature. The start date of our calendar may be arbitrary – a year, as we know, is the length of time required for the earth to orbit the sun, but who is to say when the orbit begins anew? – but it does provide a built-in period to stop and take stock, a time to reassess our goals, our habits, our relationships, and our lifestyles. This year, we invariably think, things can be different.

Resolutions are an act of self-idealization. Think of them as a mirror that reflects, consciously or unconsciously, an image of the person we would like to be. And a new calendar brings, in essence, a blank slate, another opportunity to try to become the person, and lead the life we have always dreamed of.

Whether or not you stay true to your resolutions this year – to lose weight, get in shape, stay in the moment, stop smoking, spend more time with friends and family, etc. – signals neither ultimate success nor ultimate failure. Most of us, thankfully, will have many more years to chase our idealized selves.  Or, in the eloquent words of the late, great Mexican poet Ocatvio Paz: “Merece lo que sueñas.” Deserve your dreams.

The important thing is the conscious desire for a fresh beginning, a blank slate on which to write anew. Fresh starts allow us to shake off old habits, break out of tired, unproductive patterns. Resetting the clock, so to speak, also allows us to look at people and places as if for the first time.

Here we are in Los Cabos, one of the most beautiful places on earth, but how often do we do the things we truly want to do: relax at the beach, go wine tasting, take a romantic sunset sail, set off on an adventurous road trip, or simply spend a pampering day at the spa? This idea has stuck with me throughout the first few days of 2015. Perhaps it is the residue of Hurricane Odile, a reminder to take nothing for granted.

If you’re looking to start the New Year in the traditional seasonal spirit, by giving back or getting in shape, we’re here to help with comprehensive local listings of businesses and services. But hopefully you will also take advantage of this freshest of fresh starts and strive once again to live life to the fullest, to sample and savor the outstanding dining and nightlife available throughout the area, from cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo to Todos Santos and La Paz.

There are only 11 more months, after all, to get in tip-top feasting shape for the next Guadalupe – Reyes marathon.

Enjoy the New Year!