I’ve had Barry Manilow in my head for days, as I pondered how I’d ring in the new year.
Don’t look so sad, it’s not so bad you know.
It’s just another night, that’s all it is.
Barry Manilow, It’s Just Another New Year’s Eve
I have no plans for tonight. I’ll try to cook a nice meal for my boys and maybe watch something with my youngest. Then they’ll do their thing and I’ll do mine, like most other nights, and I’ll go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Despite the lack of pomp or fanfare I’m giving this holiday, I’ve actually been looking forward to it. I took Christmas down yesterday, a little earlier than usual, in preparation for the fresh start this evening ushers in. I was even a little Marie Kondo-ish during the process, thanking each item for the joy they bring me in the hardest month each year and packing things away more carefully than usual.
For once, when I was done, my empty living room didn’t feel sad. It feels ready for whatever is next. And so am I. I can’t wait to share my word for 2024 (that’s coming tomorrow!) and unpacking it with you all year long. So today is just a quick check in, to acknowledge and say goodbye to a less than stellar year and officially draw a line under it – or maybe a flourish of some kind? – indicating I’m done.
It’s just another New Year’s Eve, it’s just another auld lang syne,
but when we’re through this new year you’ll see, we’ll be just fine.
Thank you, Mr. Manilow.
Dearest Leah, any year with you is an excellent year in my book. And my evening will be much like yours, though William is also here (for which I’m beyond grateful; it’s his birthday, and he’s in his best shape in decades). We’ll have a nice supper, watch some TV (probably the “Call the Midwife” Christmas special, since we missed it on Christmas evening), and go to bed when we’re ready, which often isn’t at the same time. I’m so eager to see your 2024 word! And I’m even more eager to read more of your writing next year. Here’s to a GOOD 2024 for all of us and for the world; we can use a break from 2023’s disasters and wars. A big hug to you across the miles, especially this evening.