What is it about New Year's celebrations that seem to make us all reflect on where we've been and where we want to go? Perhaps for some of us it is a bit of nostalgia or sentimentality. For others there is a desire to change some of the experiences and realities of the past and move in new directions. I'm not sure what it is about moving from the festivities of the Christmas season, right into a period of new beginnings . . . . but I've always felt a renewal of purpose; a recommitment to goals; and an overwhelming sense of regaining focus and direction in my life.
Now, not that my life is ever particularly exciting, chaotic, adventurous, or even slightly risque ;o) That's why New Year's Eve is typically just another night for us. We are not the party-going type of family. We really are pretty boring, but when I look around at the world and see all of the really unsettling things happening everywhere I look - well, I guess I'm just content to stay in our little corner of our community and work from here. I ran into a friend from Our Town yesterday at the post office. She and I worked together briefly at the bank, and that's how I got to know her. She is also unemployed, but she doesn't have a family support system and she is really struggling. She is trying to find a job, but she is also trying to figure out how to sell her house so that she could move somewhere else where she might be able to find employment.
As we were chatting, she mentioned to me that the recent murder in Our Town took place just a couple of miles from where we live. I knew that it was somewhere up here around the lakes, but didn't really know it was that close to us. Seems that a woman was murdered by her ex-husband who then took off with their 11 year old son. The body was not located for several weeks, but I had heard on the news that they were searching in a lake. Eventually they did find the body, and it was in one of the lakes near our house. So, even living out here in the Heartland of America, in the midst of cornfields and lakes, crazy stuff happens. Can't always avoid all of the nutty stuff in the world! But I always feel just a little bit better about trying to avoid the obvious places and situations that could potentially be dangerous.
Well, all of that is to say that, even though our lives are pretty tame compared to millions of other people in the world, I always anticipate the newness of the new year. It is a time to rearrange the furniture, wash the windows and the curtains, clean out the cupboards and the closets, and return to my commitment to a more healthy, simple, and intentional lifestyle. Even the girls seem to appreciate playing in their room more when it is orderly and tidy ;o) Of course, it is a chore to teach them how to get it that way, and then keep it that way. But that's just part of my Mama Job! So, after all of the cooking and baking, decorating and creating, wrapping and mailing packages . . . . . I am so ready to simplify!
I want to sort out all of the junk that somehow accumulates, even though I am not a pack rat. We go through all of our closets and dresser drawers two or three times a year and get rid of the stuff that no longer fits or is worn out. But somehow, no matter how much stuff I take out the door, more and more stuff ends up in our house! It is time for it to GO!!! How many pair of shoes does one mama need? And how many pair of blue jeans do two little girls need? Or what about TOYS??? We bring in new toys at Christmas (and then we have a birthday right away for Miss Drama Diva on January 4!) . . . . and then we have to wade through all that stuff until I have time to sort it and get rid of a bunch of it. Hopefully this year I can get rid of MORE than we brought in, so that I can begin to make some progress on this mountain of STUFF ;o)
Today we are going roller skating with our Dear Daddy and some friends . . . . . and then I'm going to start pitching stuff out the door: a bunch of it is simply trash and I always wonder why we keep some of the junk that I find when sorting through the piles. Some of it will go to the thrift store (but as it turns out, I will probably buy MORE stuff at the thrift store, just hopefully not nearly as much as I toss out!). Some of it will be stored in those neat, tidy plastic tubs that you can buy now in every color imaginable. And I always label those tubs so that I can find what I'm looking for . . . . . there's not much in this world that I hate more than knowing that we own a watchamajigget and not being able to find it, and then having to go out and BUY ANOTHER one! Finally, what we decide to keep will be returned peacefully and orderly back into the dresser drawers and closets. Good job! At least until spring when I know we will have to do it all over again . . . . . but that's the cycle of life. Or at least one part of the cycle of life!
This year the other image that comes to my mind at the thought of the New Year is new birth. With the arrival of two beautiful new grand-daughters in November, the idea of babies and new life and new beginnings is even more meaningful than perhaps in previous years. Let's celebrate all of our opportunities to begin again . . . . whether it be in a recommitment to a healthier lifestyle; refocusing on our goals; redefining our relationships; or simply a decision to bring peace to our little corner of the world . . . . the new year is a great time to embrace the challenges and opportunities that are just ahead on our Journey of Life.
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