Ellen has an activity she brings to any New Year’s Eve party, The Burning Ritual. She encourages people to write down the negative from the past year. Then, people put it in her cauldron and she burns it. It sounds a little like witchcraft. And maybe it is. I burned my 2013 tome last night. It was the kindling that ignited others unhappy moments. It was cleansing. I feel lighter today. I have room for the new. And I’m ready for 2014 to be magical.
On facebook, I saw some pithy 2014 wishes. These were my faves:
- Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.- Tommy J
- Instead of stupid resolutions, why don’t we all pledge to be a little nicer to each other, stranger, friend and foe. – Gena
- Don’t make Resolutions, Start Revolutions! – Carlo
I’m adopting all these as influences for this year. I do love the beginning of a new year. It’s like starting a job or a new notebook. Nothing has been established yet. All the possibilities and plans are out there un-actualized. It’s like a brilliant, untouched sheet of snow waiting for me to stomp on it… to leave my mark or my snow angel. The challenge is to put my big girl boots on and get out there in it.
Nothing changes until we make changes.
Over the holidays, I said something like ‘it will happen the way its supposed to.‘ This sentiment was debated by my dad. He didn’t like it because it suggests people don’t have power over their lives. I get his concern. And I agree with him. Despite my overarching sequential-order-of-life philosophy, I do believe we all have choices. And sometimes it just a matter of choosing to be as happy as we can be in any scenario.