HAPPY New Year. Apologies for the belated salutation. You find me in a new column slot for 2024. New year, new me (or something like that).

With this in mind, the editor has suggested I begin with a brief introduction. Granted, some of you will already be familiar with my name and scribblings: I have been a regular in these pages since I joined The Herald Magazine team as a fresh-faced trainee back in 2001.

And now? I am no longer fresh-faced, but I am still every bit as thrilled to be writing here for you today. Umm, can you tell I am already finding this preamble a tad awkward?

It’s a bit like the time when I got chatting to a high-flying lawyer at a friend’s wedding and introduced myself with a cheery “Hi, I’m Susan, a Scorpio omnivore,” which was meant to be a fun spin on a line from the movie Legally Blonde.

The part where Reese Witherspoon’s character arrives at Harvard Law School and introduces herself and her pet Chihuahua by saying, “Hi, I’m Elle Woods and this is Bruiser Woods. We’re both Gemini vegetarians.”

Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen the film and my attempted quip went down like the proverbial lead balloon.

If you ever see me staring into space with an anguished expression that puts you in mind of a character from a Thomas Hardy novel, then I am probably thinking about that encounter. I will never not be thinking about it. Until the end of time.

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Anyway, the idea is that this weekly dispatch will be light and bright. Think of it as a sorbet-style palate cleanser for all the doom and gloom in the world. A joy-filled Saturday unicorn chaser (well, that might be overselling it, but I’ll try my best).

Basically, it is life as viewed from the perspective of a 40-something woman with a soft spot for garden centres, the great outdoors and setting herself challenges that may – or may not – be indicative of a midlife crisis. (Last year it was camping and running through bogs; this year, who knows?)

Which brings us to the present moment. Six days into January. A juncture at which, as many folks return to the daily grind of post-festive season normality, small talk has segued from “Did you have a nice Christmas?” to “Any big New Year’s resolutions?”

I don’t know about you, but the latter always seems like a loaded question. On the surface, it appears innocent enough but scratch a bit deeper and it is laced with schadenfreude, no matter how you frame it. If you have made some resolutions, it can be a sly probe to size up the potential for failure.

And if you haven’t? Well, you immediately feel like a lazy, under-achieving and unambitious so-and-so stuck in a woeful rut. Lose-lose.

Or is it? Truth is, I have never bought into the notion of treating January like the big makeover sequence in a 1990s romcom, attempting to dramatically overhaul myriad aspects of your life all at once.

This is the time for marinating plans, not taking decisive action. My longstanding motto: no major decisions should be made between Hogmanay and Burns Night.

Too often New Year’s resolutions are self-flagellation disguised as self-improvement. They focus on lack and want, rather than gratitude for the many positive things we already have in our lives. Starting a new year is like putting on a box-fresh pair of shoes; it takes a little while to break them in. But soon enough you’ll find your stride. The trick is not to rush it.

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In the meantime, be kind to yourself. January can feel akin to a bleak and spirit-crushing hinterland if you let it. Although there are plenty of ways to take the edge off that. Good books, gentle walks and idle daydreaming can provide much-needed balm for the soul.

I’ll be doing long runs in the brisk cold, hanging out with my dog and grabbing coffees with friends. Enjoying fresh air and time among nature. All the while letting the seeds of potential goals and projects take root in my mind, ready to share with you all in the weeks to come. Buckle up …