Sometime before midnight, Rob and I will be performing our annual ritual to prepare for the new year. We will sit down with pen and paper in private corners of the room and spend some reflective moments listing out all we'd each like to get rid of: habits, memories, grudges, debts (others' debts to us), fears, attitudes, whatever is binding us up in any way we're ready to be done with. When the writing is over, we put our secret lists into a big envelope and throw the lot into a fire. In the past, we've shared a noisy bonfire with family, had our own small ceremony with a couple of matches over a driveway in the bitter cold, and we've cozied up to wood stoves in the comfort of our home and studio. While the flames consume our rosters of devils, we dance around in a giddy, uncivilized fashion, and when the last bits of scrawl have turned to ashes, we shout, "GOOD RIDDANCE!"What always follows is quiet, sentimental, and clean: eyes and minds wide-open to the year ahead, and deep gratitude to be moving on.
A happy, beautiful new year to you all!
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