“Not this year” is not a surrender. It is a pause that speaks volumes. It is a response that comes when everyone expects change, but then discovers that change can also mean staying put. Or vice versa: when everything seems already written, “Not this year” becomes the simplest way to say that the rules can be rewritten. For some, it means turning the page. For others, it means holding their ground. It is the courage to say that this year things will change, without having to explain how, when, or why. But it is also the serenity of admitting that this year is fine as it is, without feeling late, out of time, or out of place. Perhaps the point is not to decide what will happen this year. But to know that, in any case, we are the ones who choose the meaning. Not this year. Or maybe yes. And that's okay either way.