By Elisabeth Strillacci

Each year, as the days come to a close at the end of December, we are driven to look back at the last 365 days and take stock.

I don’t know one of us who wouldn’t say 2023 was a wild ride. There have been joys, successes, failures, traumas, hurts, losses, wins, births and deaths, ups and downs, and it can be so easy to think the L column is longer than the W column.

But over a lifetime, I have come to understand that just being here, on this earth, with people I love, when the clock clicks around to 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1 is the best win we can have.

We are survivors, who have come through another year of experiences in this human realm, and we are starting again on another year of adventures.

All the losses, the failures, the things that didn’t go quite as planned are all things, for me, that I didn’t know the year before. The hurts showed me I’m tougher than I realized. The things that didn’t work out quite right showed me a different path, some new skills and that resilience.

And the things that did go right, the things that reinforced my joy, my happiness and my persistence, are the things I will carry forward into the new year.

I’m not one to make resolutions, because honestly, life changes so fast that something I resolve this week will likely be irrelevant in a month’s time.

Instead, I choose to remind myself what remains important no matter the time of year.

For instance?

The dog on the side of the road, lost, hungry, ignored, deserves someone to stop and help. Wherever I am rushing to, I can be late if it means that being stays alive and safe.

The homeless person sitting alone, not bothering anyone but clearly in need of assistance, can use a bite, a bag of essentials I carry in my car, and a word of comfort.

The coworker who is doing their best to hide stress and struggles could use some encouragement, support, help without needing to ask.

The nonprofits that are struggling to survive in a world where giving isn’t happening nearly enough can always use even a $5 donation, and I can forgo one meal out or an extravagant coffee.

Students in school who don’t have role models can use mentors, through a variety of programs, to give them someone in their lives who gives them confidence and belief in themselves.

The point I’m making is that every single success in my life has come with the help of others. Anyone who says differently is not being honest — none of us does this life alone. We just don’t. We have all, at some point, been beneficiaries of a good Samaritan.

So I believe in turning around and being a Samaritan for others, a stepping stone in their successes.

And I don’t need accolades, or recognition, or thanks, because doing that is, or should be, the norm. We should all do so little for others.

This New Year’s Eve, whether you are in bed by 10 p.m. and not a reveler, or toasting with a glass of bubbly at midnight when the ball drops in Times Square, I would ask you to take a moment and reflect on those who have been your stepping stones. Remember the ones who have helped you get to where you are, who lent a hand when you needed it most, and if you’re feeling ambitious, reach out and let those folks know you remember, and you appreciate it.

It will start your year off from a place of gratitude, which is a tremendous launching pad for all the wonderful things you will do in 2024.

Elisabeth Strillacci is former editor of the Salisbury Post.