It will soon be 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve 2024. I'm cozy here at home, relaxing on my chaise lounger with my adorable little calico cat, Misty, by my side. I'm wearing warm, fluffy, yellow PJ's, and I'm listening to my favourite spa music.
Not very exciting, you may be thinking.
I've experienced lots of excitement in my life. Excitement is not something I crave.
After a very busy day I'm enjoying my quiet evening, and as I anticipate the midnight hour and another new year, I cannot help but think of my dear Scottish mother-in-law, and something she shared with me many years ago.
It was on another New Year's Eve long ago when she said to me, "Start the way you mean to go on."
There was something in those words, and the way she said them to me, that totally impacted my life and my way of observing the arrival of another new year. Her well-meaning words totally resonated with me, and from that long-ago New Year's Eve up to and including today, I have made it my practice each new year to literally start the way I mean to go on.
Now you may have an interpretation of those words very different from the one I give to it but, for me, it means I will, to the best of my ability, take care of all the important aspects of my life; leaving nothing undone.
I began this morning by enjoying my healthy breakfast of porridge, with fresh fruit, and a delicious cup of camomile tea. I remember my earlier adult years when I would skip breakfast and, after no more than a cup of coffee, I would rush off to work. Those were the days before I received my mother-in-law's wisdom.
I fed my little Misty her wet food, gave my little senior her needed medication, then filled her water glass and her kibble bowl that she may graze all day as much as she likes. I picked up my container of unsalted peanuts in the shell and, from my balcony, I threw two big handfuls of peanuts to my friends, the squirrels and the chipmunks.
I washed up the dishes and then I went to work. I did my laundry making sure every article of clothing and bedding is clean. I vacuumed my living-room furniture, the cat tree, all my floors and rugs. I dusted throughout each room. I checked and made sure that my kitchen cupboards and refrigerator are well stocked with healthy food; keeping what I call my 'safe house' - a term I have borrowed from Dr. Phil McGraw.
I ensure that I have money in my purse, lots of loonies for laundry days, and not one unpaid bill. I will start my new year with zero debt.
I wished my family and friends a happy new year. By this time I felt that all was well in my world. I thought of the old cliche, "Take good care of today and tomorrow will take care of itself".
I happily received a phone call informing me that I will have a table in both the Spring and Winter craft shows here in my town. What a wonderful gift of motivation! This ensures that I will do lots of painting and lots of creative writing in order to hopefully sell my books and my folk art at these vendor shows. I like to set goals.
The icing on the cake for me was a message received from another friend who lives out of town. We chatted and then she e-transferred funds to me. Why did she do this? Because she bought two of my very large folk art paintings. I am overjoyed. One painting will be my friend's, and one she has purchased as a gift for another who lives in Germany. My painting will hang on a wall in the Munich University. This sale makes me an international folk artist. What can be more exciting to someone who loves to paint?
So now you know how I celebrate New Year's Eve each year. I celebrate it by cleaning, by ensuring the pantry and fridge are full, by having all bills paid and absolutely no debt to carry into the new year. If some years I have decided to attend a New Year's party or dance, I make sure all these important things are accomplished before I go out to celebrate. I spend each New Year's Eve by literally 'starting the way I mean to go on."
No, staying home with my cat, listening to spa music, is not exciting. It is something much greater than excitement. By starting the way I mean to go on, I am left with a comforting peace of mind. With nothing left undone I experience love in my heart, an organized mind, a stable financial situation, calm in my soul, and gratitude throughout my entire being.
By exercising self-care in these ways, I feel strong. I feel ready to face whatever may come my way in the new year.
I wish all my family and friends a very healthy, happy, and prosperous 2025! Happy New Year!
And whatever it may mean to you, I hope you will start the way you mean to go on. xoxoxox
