On the eve of the New Year

Vietnamese people often say "on the threshold of the New Year." It sounds simple, but it evokes so much. "Threshold" is a transitional point. Not necessarily inside the house, but not necessarily outside either. It's a place where people pause for a moment, brush the dust off their feet, take a deep breath, look back, and then continue on their way.

As the new year approaches, time seems to slow down.

The last days of the year are no longer hurried. The sound of the wind is different. The smell of kitchen smoke, banana leaves, straw, and fresh mud—somewhere in my memory… naturally returns.

The last afternoon of the year. Photo: LAP DUC

People often clean their houses at this time of year. But perhaps what needs cleaning more is within ourselves.

Let go of any unspoken frustrations. Put things aside. Forgive yourself for your own shortcomings over the past year.

As the new year approaches, farmers look at their fields. Not just to calculate profit and loss, but to ask themselves:

Is the soil still healthy?

Did I over-compress the soil last season?

Is there anything that needs to be done differently next season?

Policymakers, if they are willing to stop at the "threshold," will also ask themselves some very practical questions:

How far has this policy progressed?

Is there any place where, upon arriving back in the village, you… suddenly stop?

Is anyone struggling because they haven't spoken clearly enough or acted closely enough?

As the new year approaches, children long for new clothes. Adults long for peace and tranquility. And the elderly only wish for their children and grandchildren to be well-off and their neighbors to be peaceful.

Tet is a time for family reunions. Photo: DUY NHUT

Those wishes are very simple. And it is this simplicity that reminds us that: Development, ultimately, is not about going fast, but about going right. It's not about how much more you have, but about preserving the most fundamental aspects of a person's life.

"On the eve of the new year" is not about fearing the old, nor about rushing to chase the new. Rather, it's about selection. Keeping what is good. Letting go of what is no longer relevant. Carrying with you the lessons learned through sweat, tears, and even faith.

If each of us would pause for a moment at that "threshold," perhaps we would enter the new year more lightly, more slowly, but more steadily.

Like a farmer before planting, he doesn't sow seeds when his heart is troubled, but waits for warm soil, sufficient water, and favorable winds.

As the new year approaches, let us wish each other enough serenity to reflect, enough compassion to be forgiving, enough wisdom to innovate, and enough patience to journey the long road ahead.

Because a new year, after all, begins with a very small step… stepping across the threshold.

LE MINH HOAN

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/truoc-them-nam-moi-a236857.html