At the start of a new year, we ponder the past and wonder how to carve out a better future. Set a goal, and go! But it’s easy to get distracted, even stuck. Longing to go back to what we had, we might not even want to make the effort to forge ahead. It’s no surprise, then, that our month of January is named after the ancient Roman god Janus, patron of beginnings and endings. Janus had two faces—one looking forward and one looking back. Janus was believed to guard every doorway and to preside over life’s transitions.

This metaphor has proved helpful to me as I attempt to find the best way to let go of what’s

no longer needed, to hold onto what’s good, and to explore new horizons. But this process isn’t always comfortable.