We stand at the beginning of a new year, and being at this point recalls a line written by the late author J.R.R. Tolkien in which he points out that it is not for us to decide what times we live in.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us,” he wrote.

The high school basketball season offers a useful parallel to what we experience when one year is succeeded by another, and the newspaper business points to a key tool to make the new year a successful one for you.

Basketball season is always in progress when we switch to a new calendar. Similarly for us at this point, life isn’t over, and it isn’t just beginning either — it’s continuing. The coming of a new year doesn’t have to represent a jarring transition, but it can be this if we feel like we need it to be. It can also be a refreshing segue.

The point is that, to a great extent, this juncture can be what we decide it to be.

Cumberland County High School’s varsity girls basketball team carries a 1-4 record into 2019 and may look at the new year as an opportunity to start fresh, with renewed zeal. Prince Edward County High School’s varsity girls team takes a 4-0 record into 2019 and will likely see the new calendar as a chance to build on established momentum. Coaches of all teams in the area will be determining the most advantageous approaches to build up their squads, and they will be setting goals to make those “construction projects” happen.

Napoleon Hill is quoted as saying, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

We in the newspaper business know from regular experience the importance of deadlines. They are what help ensure that you receive the news each week in a timely manner.

We wish you all a Happy New Year in which your dreams transition effectively to reality.