Are you ready to say goodbye to 2021? I sure am!
It seems to have blended into 2020 somehow, into one long blur of worry and change and stress. I think most of us are ready for a change.
There's something powerful about the New Year, don't you think? Maybe it's the way we humans are wired. I think we need that boundary, no matter our culture or religion. All around the world, people honor one special day when they turn away from the old year and step into the new one, whether it's January 1st or some other special holiday. I guess we all need a fresh start, and a new year gives us that chance.
Lately I've been reading about different ways people celebrate the New Year. It's so interesting! In some countries or religions, it's a serious day, when people worship, fast or spend the day in silence. Others usher in the new year with noisy celebrations by lighting fireworks, ringing bells or banging pots and pans. People put on new clothes, clean and purify their homes, eat special foods and gather to celebrate with their loved ones.
But while we greet the new year in many different ways, people all around the world seem to use that time to do two things: to reflect on the year that's over and to welcome the year to come.
We look back, and then we turn and look ahead.
In a year full of earth-shaking events and national turmoil, sometimes we forget to mark our own growth and reflect on our own lives. But maybe you've been looking back and asking yourself these questions, like I have:
How has this year shaped me? What do I need to be ready for what may come in the year ahead?
We can't do much about the future, but we can change how we face it. I've decided I want to greet this coming year not with dread, but with hope. So I'm going to celebrate the New Year with a new ritual, one that's celebrated in Ireland and Wales. You might want to try it, too.
Just as the old year comes to an end, walk over to the back door of your home and open it wide. Yes, I know it's cold! But just for a moment, open it and imagine you're letting the old year out. Let it go: all the worry and the stress, the struggles and problems, every bit of it. Shoo it out and slam the door shut. It's over, done, finished!
Now it's time to let the new year in. So when the countdown ends, walk to your front door and open it wide. Stand there a minute and let that new year of your life fill your heart. Look out at the stars. Listen to the world around you. Breathe the fresh air. Step aside and welcome the future into your home.
The challenges of the past year will come back again, I know. But maybe when I open that door at midnight, I can open it with hope in my heart and a smile on my face.
May this new year step into your home bringing many, many blessings: comfort in sorrow, laughter amidst worry, and enough strength for any load you have to carry. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year