The New Yorkers got caught in the omicron blizzard last week; first Emma, then Eliza, and of course Melissa, were sick so they weren’t able to visit with us. I was both concerned and disappointed, but everybody’s okay now, so it’s all good. We pulled down the Christmas decorations earlier than usual, cleaning and rearranging and I’ve felt very in sync and in tune with the New Year and moving forward, making changes, and all that. Yesterday I cooked up some Hoppin’ John with greens, so I know the year will be prosperous; we kissed at midnight New Year’s Eve (eastern time), so 2022 is going to be filled with love.

Back in 2018 I wrote about my attitude toward resolutions:

I’m a little skittish about making Resolutions…  I’ve done it before, but I’m just not a Resolute person.  I have only a passing understanding of Determination or what on earth a Firm Decision would be.  Same way with Goals…  The very word implies Effort and there is a whiff of competition that has never appealed to me.

Just like cooking the traditional lucky food, and kissing at midnight, I usually make a list on New Year Day.  In the past, The List was aimed at Self-Improvement, being healthy, changing my habits… It consisted of the usual stop smoking, stop drinking, lose weight, join a group, take a class… I was determined that I Would Become a Better Person!!!  January was always full of hope…  By February, I would be making excuses, and March always saw me in the line of shame to d/c my gym membership.

Now that I am an Old (wise) woman, I see the Year Ahead much differently– I look at it as an Adventure, Each Day a New Experience, Every moment present and aware.  So I’ll call it my Adventure List?  My Experience List?  My Learning List?  My Here’s What I Want to Do in 2018 List? Whatever you want to call it, here it is… (in no particular order and not necessarily complete)  

from “The Perfunctory New Year/New You Post, January 1, 2018”

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Right Here Right Now, 4 years later, it’s slightly modified to reflect my growing acceptance of myself…

1. Enjoy Each Moment

2.  Write

3.  Travel

4.  Spend Time with Family

5.  Learn New Music

6.  Read

7.  Garden

8.  Spruce up the House  

I’m actually feeling excited and hopeful about starting fresh again, and I’m making plans to achieve all of the above with great gusto! A New Year that finds us still coping with the pandemic, our political divide, and freaking harry&meghan can sound a little daunting, but I like to look at it from the point of view of this poet:

The new year always brings us what we want

Simply by bringing us along—to see

A calendar with every day uncrossed,

A field of snow without a single footprint.

New Year’s
by Dana Gioia

May our footprints be gentle in 2022!

Peace