The New Year’s Letdown . . .

 



I don’t know why, but I have never been a big fan of New Year’s Eve. Well maybe the first 15 years I had great New Year’s Eves when my Aunt Mary hosted the family get togethers. She had hats and noise makers, confetti and streamers. She had pots and pans to bang at midnight. We watched Guy Lombardo on television for the countdown and the ball to drop. It felt exciting. A new year with new possibilities. But then my aunt Mary and her family moved about 20 miles away. My father didn’t want to drive us out there and come back home so late at night. My other relatives didn’t have a car. The New Year’s Eve parties were over. The holiday took a depressing turn for me.

Instead of noise and family laughter, there was quiet. Instead of new beginnings, I focused more on endings. The end of the holiday season. The end of Christmas, the food, the music, the decorations, the visiting, the gifts, the anticipation. The end of Christmas vacation. The fun was over. Done.

My mother would make a holiday meal for us to enjoy on New Year’s Day. It felt more like the Last Supper. There were still the remnants of Christmas all around. Some gift boxes, with gifts that hadn’t been put away, still sat on the floor. The tree standing tall seemed to be reminding us that we had to take down the ornaments and store everything for another year. The leftovers in the refrigerator dwindling and slowly becoming a savory memory. The Christmas cards, lovingly displayed for the past two or three weeks, would soon end up in the trash with all the wrapping paper, ribbon, bows and tags. It all went by way too fast. From Thanksgiving week to New Year’s Day, about six weeks of whirlwind shopping, cooking, baking, wrapping, decorating, planning, visiting all coming to a screeching halt. Back to our normal lives we go. Back to school, back to work, back to laundry, back to paying bills and on and on.
 
Last night I took down the tree and all the decorations. The girls weren’t home so I spared them the dreaded task. I know I’ll forget to put away some trinket, I always do. I’ll find it in a couple of days from now and get another wave of sadness. I’ll put away the remaining gifts once I find a place for them. Christmas 2014 will join all the others in the memories of my mind.

What’s left today? Hope. We’re all hoping the new year will be a good one. Here’s to hoping for good health and happiness for everyone. May God bless us all, and may we all be here celebrating Christmas in 2015 with our loved ones once again.



Happy New Year 2012!

Last year I wrote a blog for 2011 about the new year.  A lot has happened since then. However, before I get started, I can’t help but notice that my dog got us up at the exact same time this year, 5:45 am.  If nothing else, he is consistent! I am not as depressed about the new year as I usually am and I don’t know why.  Maybe it’s because I have a “plan” and developed some interests last year that I really enjoy.  Maybe it’s also because I have made new friends and learned a few things from them about perseverance and having a positive attitude. Whatever it is, I am thankful for it.

Last year I was still in some pain over my ten year friendship ending. Even though it had been one year, I hadn’t fully healed, but now I have.  I have stopped dwelling on it and put it behind me and moved on.  I feel so much better just from that alone.  I have also taken my blogging my seriously. In addition to this blog, I was writing for two other blogs.  Of course the Russian Dolls blog was a bust, thanks to the show, but I met some people and had some interesting discussions about the show and a few great laughs over it.  My blogging also lead me to win a contest Marlo Thomas had on her page and from that I got two free tickets to see her in Relatively Speaking” plus a phone call from Marlo and her book with a message she wrote to me.  That was a wonderful way to end the year.  

A new year inspires hopes and dreams. It’s like a new starting point. I read a quote the other day that said “No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” I think that is how many of us feel. We can learn from our past and create better futures. Why not? And our hopes and dreams don’t have to be big either, they can be small things, as long as we love doing it. I have gotten the most satisfaction from pursuing things I am passionate about.  I have always loved to write and now I write every day, and people are actually reading and enjoying what I have to say. It’s not so easy to go out and get a book published, but anyone can start one or more blogs about anything and everything and write away. The only thing anyone has to do is take what you enjoy and try to do it as often as possible. If you like to crochet, there are only so many things you can make, but maybe you can donate your work to nursing homes where many elderly people would appreciate it. If you are an animal lover and have the time, maybe you can find an animal shelter or animal rescue organization to donate some of your time to. 

I was taking college classes a few years ago, studying French literature. I really enjoyed those classes because I was able to write about the plot and characters. I never considered blogging as a way to express my love of writing.  If there is something you love there are a variety of ways you can pursue it that will fit into your lifestyle. You really should think about it and while you are thinking, get healthy.

Now tomorrow, first thing, I start my diet and try to lose 10 pounds. It worked last year and now I am ready to lose the other ten. Jane Fonda is going to help me with some age appropriate exercises and there is always the tread mill.  I am lucky enough to have gotten a few of my facebook friends to join me so we can support and encourage each other. I am hoping we all reach our goal weights and if not we will still be better off than when we started.  Why not think about a healthier lifestyle and get the new year off on the right foot? Let’s hit the ground running!