James sat there on the cold, concrete bench, wearing nothing but a ragged jacket, a faded pair of jeans, and a gloomy look plastered across his rugged face. He stared solemnly at the white trees swaying from side to side, and snowflakes, each a different shape, dancing in the wind. James was a simple man, and some would say depressed too. At parties, he would stand at the corner and refrain from socializing with the crowd. At work, no one would include him in their daily gossips and banter. He didn't give much thought to what people might think about him. James had his own daily routine he had carved out ever since he was a young lad. He would sit pathetically on a park bench and get lost in his thoughts while his gaze was fixed on his surroundings. He would then buy a plain bagel from a vendor near this apartment, return home and eat it cold with cream cheese and some plain tea. He never binged on the luxuries of life. His family kicked him to the curb when he was 19 as he was bringing upon much shame to his well recognized father. He'd been living in this apartment since then, and never bothered to fix any appliance that broke. He would instead just go on without it. Every night James would sit home, microwave a bowl of salted popcorn and snack on it while watching his favorite sitcom on television. December passed quickly for James, just as every other month did. On New Year's Eve night, while everyone was out having a good time of eating, drinking and reminiscing about the past year, James decided to go to a deserted bar not far from his home, to enjoy a drink and be away from all the hustle and bustle. James ordered a bottle of diet soda from the bartender and sat on the bar stool sipping his drink feeling rather melancholy. After a while, without James noticing, an old, heavily bearded man took a sit on the stool next to James. He ordered a plain water and some nuts. James looked over to the man and thought, "And people say I'm basic". James looked back at his drink and continued whatever he was doing earlier, but at the near corner of his eye, he couldn't help notice the old man glaring at him. "Can I help you, sir?" "No, no, I'm alright. Sorry for intruding young man, it's just that, I can't believe how much you remind me of myself! Plain, alone on a festive occasion, glum look on your face. Are you alright son?", the old man replied with a concerned look on his face. "Thanks for caring, but, I'm okay. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get back to my drink.", James said, with almost a somewhat annoyed look across his face. The old man looked sad. He nuzzled his face into his bare palms and let out a loud sigh. "Oh, what now?", James murmured to himself. A few minutes of pin-drop silence passed and James couldn't hold in his words anymore. "Sir, if I may be honest with you, I know you think I'm some sort of wet blanket, but the truth is, I have nothing to be happy or proud of. Heck, I barely have much to live for. I work at a job that pays me half of what I need. I have an empty, dilapidated apartment to return to every night. I'm all alone, in my thoughts and actions, no one standing by my side to support me. Do you think it's easy? No, sir, it isn't. So before you sit there, eating your packet of nuts, and judging me with those eyes of yours, don't! Because you don't know who I am, or what I am." James barked at the old man next to him. James was glad to get it off his chest, but soon after looking at the man, he felt bad. The old man took a final gulp of his drink, left a crinkled dollar bill on the table and struggled to stand up from the stool with the help of this walking stick. Walking towards the door, he put a hand on James' muscular shoulders. "Son, look at me. 83 years old, sitting in a bar on New Year's Eve, hoping for a better year ahead, when I know deep down it'll be the same at last. You're young, with your whole life ahead of you, maybe you've failed before, but who ever said that you can't try again? Maybe you've had your heart broken, but who ever said you can't find love again? And maybe you're frustrated with how your life is going, but who isn't? Do you think my life is a bed of roses? I lost the love of my life a few years back and since then, I haven't been the same person. But I don't sulk on the couch everyday, because I know she wouldn't want me to. Even though she's not here with me, she's my reason to wake up every morning. So, all I want to say to you, son, is to find your reason this new year, anything at all. Your reason to live doesn't have to be someone or something else, it can be yourself too. Love yourself son, that's all I'm saying. Happy New Year, young man.", and with that, the old man left the store and vanished into plain sight. People had given James pep talks before, but nothing hit him quite like this one. "Is it true? Can I have a second chance at life? To prove myself and all that I can be?", James continued thinking to himself as he walked back home that night. He sat on his couch back home, and turned on the countdown on his television. As it became closer to the new year, James thought to himself, "Even not to prove to others, but to prove to myself, maybe I should make an effort to change, to be the adult I needed as a young boy." And with the words of the wise old man, and the determination of himself, James made a vow this new year, to turn over a new leaf, once and for all.