11:11

It was at the corner of Philadelphia's 34th & Walnut Streets, maybe three years ago, that, engrossed in conversation, my friend and I were almost hit by a car barreling through the intersection. We were ignoring a Don't Walk sign, and the driver was ignoring the speed limit. He was a classic city driver and we were classic city pedestrians. Moments after missing us, the car smashed into the car in front of it. Every time I think about the episode, my heart is plunged into my stomach. My friend and I were very very lucky.

For the most part, New Year's Eve isn't a big deal to me. The way I see it, the countdown from ten to one, that exact moment when it changes from one year to the next is just a moment when one day changes to the next. In fact, I get more excited for the moment when a random day (August 20) changes into my birthday (sorry, I'm a Leo). To me, any and all significance attributed to New Year's Eve belongs to the New Year's Resolution.

From a psychological perspective, twins have always fascinated me. There is a famous case study involving a set of twins (both named Jim) separated and adopted by different families at birth. At 38 years of age, when the two were finally reunited, they were shocked to find that they were living practically the same lives down to their health and the names of their sons and dogs. Tests measuring their intelligence, personality, heart rate, voice intonations and inflections, and brain waves came out as if one person had taken the test twice. It would seem that the Jims' genetic predispositions, rather than their respective choices along the way, had determined their lives. Findings like these are enough to make anyone wonder just how much control we have over our own lives.

And that's where the importance of the New Year's Resolution comes in. Worldwide, people celebrate the new year and enjoy a renewed sense of power and control over their lives. We give ourselves specific goals (not necessarily manageable, but that's another story), and for at least the first few months of the year, persist at accomplishing them. When life can easily become a series of "lucky" occurrences attributed to either genetics or the environment, resolutions remind us that we do have a say once in a while. As critics of twin studies will argue, after spending several hours together, any two strangers of the same sex and age will find countless coincidental similarities between themselves. Maybe predisposition is negligible.

One of my favorite books, Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, exudes a sentiment of exploration and individual control. In a way, it is as if the novel is being created as it is being discovered by the reader -- with each turn of the page. Throughout the book, consistent references to "you, the reader," put the story into the reader's, rather than the author's, hands. Calvino empowers his reader. The novel transforms the conventionally passive experience of reading into an active one. And with intertwined stories and stories within stories, the novel seems to coincidentally come together in the end. The existential implications are no accident, I'm sure.

As our worlds and our lives have become increasingly more complicated (as is to be expected with growing up), it's easy to lose sight of just how much control we still have. As a romantic, I'll say that it's nice to leave things up to fate. A chance encounter can make my day. But things don't always pan out, and sometimes, a little initiative can get you to your destination faster.

You have input in whether it's "meant to be," because in the end, life is just how you see it: a change from one random day to the next or a change from an old year to a new beginning. The truth is, sometimes being in control is as easy as reading a Don't Walk sign and following directions.

Go out and make 2011 the 2011 that you want it to be. Just remember to look both ways before taking that first step.