oh, happy day!

As far as New Year posts go, this one is technically a little late in the game. But I’d like to think that it’s right on time. Allow me to explain by sharing a few excerpts from my January 7, 2012 journal entry.

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I always welcome the New Year with open arms, yet somehow, I also allow myself to ease into it. There’s that bit of me that jumps right in and makes sure there’s enough space for all the hopes to start planting themselves—but another part of me that knows that it takes time, and care, and a lot of letting go in order for things to take root, grow, and flourish.

Then there’s the little matter of acclimatization. A New Year with new energy and a new outlook doesn’t really start on a completely blank slate like we usually like to think it does. More often that not, old habits and dynamics that have set in over time are so much a part of our routine—and even psyche—that it takes more than the bursting of magical fireworks against a smoky dark sky to will them away. We first need to get our sea legs steady on the new terrain.

One of my funny habits is that I don’t start writing in my new planner the moment the ball drops. For me, those seven little boxes marked with the dates January 1 to 7 stand for my turnover period. They signify the fact that I have enough time to get aligned so that I can truly step into the next 364 days with my body, mind, heart, spirit, and soul intact.

So today I open up the crisp, blank pages of my 2012 planner, sniff its sharp papery scent, and know that I am here, and ready to make a go of it. If I realize there’s still something I need to leave behind in a big way, I’ve learned that it’s best to be gentle with myself. And I smile and just think: Hey, there’s always Chinese New Year. 

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For 2013, I’ve decided to expand my turnover period to the whole month of January ;) 

And as I told Anna the other day, January 1^st may ring in a shiny, bright, new year. But every 24 hours we are blessed with a new day. So we’ve got 365 chances to get it right.

Happy January 25th, everyone!

Love,

Tata