Happy New Year, with ease and gratitude
Happy New Year!
We’re one month into the New Year and I don’t know about you but I’m beginning to settle in. New Year’s is my favorite holiday. It speaks to my love of transformation and in general, an opportunity to start over. As much as I enjoy the other holidays, nothing compares to the stillness that comes in preparing for a new year in my home and mind. In the last decade I have created a tradition for myself. Growing up the fondest memory I have is my mom making black eyed peas with smoked turkey and cornbread. In Black culture making black-eyed peas going into the New Year is meant to bring good luck and prosperity. Though I love black-eyed peas, I have yet to cook them.
Here are 7 things I do to ease my way into the New Year:
· Declutter/Deep clean: I love a clean home and I view the act of cleaning as a spiritual experience. It’s a way of showing gratitude to your space. Usually December 27th-December 29th I deep clean and declutter. I purge the closets, dressers, pantry, refrigerator and every nook and cranny you can think of all to get rid of or donate things we no longer use.
· Store run: I pick up a small notebook, calendar, planner, and other toiletry items. Also, I restock the refrigerator and pick up champagne or sparkling wine. The type depends on an old favorite or something I’ve wanted to try in the year.
Dinner date: My husband and I make dinner reservation for the last date night of the year. This is our recap time to discuss our favorite moments of the year and what we’re looking forward to.
· Weekend Food: Order what I call “weekend food” from one of my favorite places. It could be Imo’s Pizza which is a well-known pizza place in St. Louis (the best pizza ever), Wing Stop, or Chinese food.
· Comfort Movies: I watch some favorite feel-good films like Life, The Original Kings of Comedy, Brown Sugar, and The Best Man to name a few. I love a good laugh, so it is always a comedy!
· Goal Time: I write out my personal goals and choose a word(s) that will serve as my theme. The word I select is not random, I typically pray and reflect on what I lacked in the current year that I want to be my focus for the new. For 2023 my words were bold and brave. I wanted to step outside of my norm and try different things. I started my first job in a new career path in the corporate space which is unfamiliar territory, and remained consistent at Orange Theory Fitness, and started this blog. My hubby and I also write down our marriage goals that can range from finance, family, or new hobbies etc.
· The memory jar: I saw this idea on social media years ago and I’ve been doing it for about 7 years. The memory jar is a jar used to put notes in on the positive things that happened within the year. For my jar, I cover it in words of affirmation, read the notes and letter from the year and write a new letter to myself to open on the following New Year’s Eve.
· The last 15 minutes: At around 11:45pm we pray our way into the New Year. I do this to express gratitude, ask for forgiveness, and pray over our plans, friends, family, and household.
No matter how you enter the New Year, whether you have a unique routine to ease your way in, if you find comfort in celebrating with loved ones, or if it is important to just BE, do what brings you peace of mind. I truly hope you all have a prosperous and tranquil 2024!