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By Scott Mims | Community Columnist

Imagine squeezing yourself through the bends and turns of an unexplored cave, with only your flashlight to illuminate the next few yards ahead of you. If you’re like most people, this experience would make you a little uneasy about what lies ahead in the darkness.

Caving is not one of my hobbies, but I do enjoy visiting caves that offer guided tours. I have said that caving is the next frontier after hiking, but the risks are different and sometimes exponentially greater depending on the difficulty of the adventure at hand. The need for multiple backup sources of light is an example of this, as well as the danger of becoming stuck in narrow passageways.

If you’ve ever been on a cave tour, you know that most tours include an exercise to experience total darkness. The guide switches off the lights and asks everyone to turn off their cell phones and other light sources. Then, you are asked to wave your hand in front of your face while attempting to see any movement. Not surprisingly, you can’t see a single thing. This is total darkness.

I recently watched a video of cavers who were exploring a wild cave in Tennessee, and they came upon a very large room after making their way through hours of passages, climbs and waterfalls. It was a 200-foot drop into total darkness, and before shining their lights it looked like they were at the edge of outer space.

Why all this talk about caves? We are nearing the end of another year, and getting ready to start a new one. It can feel a bit like emerging from miles and miles of confusing passages, only to find yourself standing on the edge of the unknown, peering out into the void.

But a new year is an opportunity to renew your perspective and reprioritize your goals and projects. While I have long been opposed to the “new year, new you” mentality in the sense that it can lead to bigger letdowns and further procrastination, the arrival of Jan. 1 does present a clean slate for anyone who approaches it with the right amount of determination and clarity.

I would like to wish everyone who reads this a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.