I had a New Year's kiss once. But it was like, 'Let's start the

Hear the words of Joe Jonas, who confessed with candor and a touch of sorrow: “I had a New Year’s kiss once. But it was like, ‘Let’s start the year off together,’ and then we wound up breaking up the night after!” This tale, brief and simple, carries within it the weight of an eternal truth: that not all beginnings endure, and that the promises made in moments of joy may dissolve with the dawn. Yet in such stories there lies not despair, but wisdom—for even fleeting moments of connection can teach us much about love, hope, and the nature of human longing.

The tradition of the New Year’s kiss is itself ancient in spirit, though modern in form. It is a symbolic act, a pledge that as the old year dies and the new one is born, two souls will cross the threshold together. It is both a blessing and a wish, as if to say, “We shall face what comes side by side.” But Jonas’ words remind us that ritual alone cannot bind hearts; a kiss at midnight cannot secure what the daylight of truth may undo. Love must be deeper than ceremony, stronger than tradition, if it is to last.

His confession speaks also to the fragility of youthful love. In the moment, passion feels eternal; promises feel unbreakable. Yet youth is swift to rise and swift to fade. The breakup the next night was not betrayal so much as revelation—that the bond was not yet tempered by time, not yet tested by fire. Such is the way of many romances: they flare bright as a spark, only to vanish before they can become flame. This is not failure, but part of the journey, teaching the heart what it truly seeks.

Consider the tale of Napoleon and Josephine. Their union began in passion, crowned with vows and kisses, yet unraveled under the weight of ambition and circumstance. What began with fervor ended with parting, though the memory of their love haunted both until their deaths. History reminds us, as Jonas does, that beginnings do not guarantee endings, and that the beauty of a moment must not be mistaken for permanence.

Yet his words are not only of disappointment, but of perspective. By recalling the story with humor, Jonas shows that wounds can heal into wisdom. What once may have stung becomes, in memory, a lesson clothed in laughter. This too is part of life’s teaching: that time transforms heartbreak into story, and story into guidance for those who come after. To be able to smile at what once pained you is itself a mark of growth.

The meaning, then, is clear: do not place all your hope in symbolic beginnings, whether it be a New Year’s Eve kiss, a resolution, or a grand promise. Beginnings are important, yes, but what matters more is the daily choice, the steady action, the enduring care that follows. Love is not proved at midnight, but in the mornings after, in the ordinary hours when joy is harder to hold.

So the lesson is this: cherish the fleeting moments of romance and ritual, but do not be deceived by them. Seek relationships not built on ceremony, but on truth, patience, and mutual strength. And when love fades, as it sometimes will, do not despair—learn, grow, and carry forward the wisdom it leaves behind. For as Joe Jonas has shown, even a kiss that ended in parting can teach us that life’s true beauty is not only in beginnings, but in the courage to continue after endings.