While most people talk about new year goals and resolutions, very few ever talk about new year fears. Maybe the air that accompanies the new year is so thick with optimism that it allows no space for fears or worries, or maybe there are no fears at all. But I have goals and I have fears. I am optimistic and I have worries.

For me, every new year brings uncertainty, and 2020 is no different. Before me lies twelve unwrapped boxes containing the expected and the unexpected. The good and the bad. The victories and the defeats. The joys and the sorrows. And I’ll get to open these boxes one after the other, not knowing what to expect.

In past year, many of the same boxes brought much disappointment and sadness. Many of my plans failed before the first half of the year had gone by, so it’s not surprising…