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January 2nd feels like a big step into the New Year already. Papers and TV have treated us to a retrospective of the year: who lived, who died, the best songs, films, books. Friends have posted their edited account of the year, even the decade, on Facebook, along with wishes for better times. Pausing to reflect on the past so that we can shape the future has been a common religious practice for centuries. Many Christians still cherish St Ignatius practice of the examen, considering daily what has gone well, what has brought us closer to God, and what has driven us away. It’s a deeply personal and honest look at our lives. In contrast, our public acts of retrospection can feel disconnected from daily life. It’s easy for those to simply paint the highs of life, or concentrate on famous figures, or heroes. Those figures are important: they tell the story of who we want to be, they point to our common values, and shape aspirations. But this focus can be discouraging. A teenager I know cares hugely about the environment, and grieves for not being Greta Thunberg. She doesn’t need to be. The world may need one Greta, but it needs many, many more teenagers who will recycle, use less plastic, limit consumption, raise awareness. It is easy, in an age of constant communication, to feel overwhelmed by the achievements of others. By the need to do great things. Yet I do not think our life together as a society, should be defined solely by great acts. Rather, it is defined by daily life: the quality of our relationships, the generosity and compassion we show to those who are different from us, the attention we pay to the impact we make on other people and the world that we share. Much of the value of life is not in the great acts, but in the small things. The prophet Zechariah, in the Bible, speaks to the people seeking to rebuild the temple, who feel discouraged by menial, routine labour. He says, ‘do not despise the day of small things’ and reminds them that God sees everything, and their work together will bring something extraordinary: every person matters, and every small act matters. And so maybe, a good new year’s resolution would be, to attend to life in its fullness: the good, the bad, the extraordinary, yes, but also the ordinary, and to cherish the people who make up the long days of the year ahead.