My mother always told me that what happens on New Year's Day, what you do and how you do it, will reflect what will happen for the rest of the year. She died 21 years ago. It was never accurate before, so why do I still think about how I should behave on New Year's Day?
Every New Year's Eve I clean up the kitchen before I go to bed, as I do most nights. I used to try to finish all the old year's business...but decided that's a lost cause this year. Each year I lose too much ground. There's just too much undone to start the year without 2007 baggage.
True to New England weather, the day was gray and alternated between heavy snow and rain. The temperature was at least kind and stayed above freezing so there does not seem to be a significant accumulation. We missed breaking a record for the most snow in December by .2 inch. Some records seem irrelevant, especially if you've been shoveling and sliding for the month to reach it. Missing the record was hardly a disappointment.
TV on New Year's Day seems to be for football lovers mainly...well, the hawkers of great bargains were also pretty visible, as well. I am the adman's worst nightmare. I cannot remember a single product from an ad I have seen. I don't even need a mute button to tune them out. I even got caught up in college football in which I usually have zilch interest. The Miami-Michigan game was exciting, to my surprise. Despite that, I could not muster interest in the Rose Bowl and turned a Twilight Zone repeat. One was enough, then I moved onto the evening News. Why does the media think it must predict the outcome. Is it some sort of game to see which staffers win the pool or is it more insidiously prepping the public, the political sheep?
The best part of the day was that I had total peace and quiet until early evening, more or less....broken up by a few phone calls, some more favorably received than others. That is the way most days go. The holiday was not different. I never screen calls, maybe I should though I don't have a problem getting rid of telemarketers, If available I would always speak to friends and relatives. Even with caller ID, I still take all calls. Some of my more private friends make it more difficult by listing themselves as 'private caller'. So I just take all calls.
I tried to envision how others were spending the day. Then I asked myself, "Why would I care?" Maybe they are playing with their Christmas toys. Maybe they want to be with people. Maybe they are hungover from last night's partying. Maybe they wouldn't be thrilled that it was warm enough for me to wash the kitchen window and get rid of all the spider's webs I had watched all Fall, to clean them out when they froze. With no one there to tell me I shouldn't be doing it, I climbed a ladder, padded the edge of the sink so it wouldn't hurt my bone-on-bone knee joint and washed the window inside and out, top and bottom panes! That was MY Mount Everest for the day as I realized when I read an account by a friend who had walked home in a snowstorm for 5 hours and considered it HIS Mount Everest! What a delight to feel even minor accomplishments are major! If only all problems were so simple.
Was my mother right? Will the rest of my year be peaceful, pleasant and productive? I certainly hope so.
Every New Year's Eve I clean up the kitchen before I go to bed, as I do most nights. I used to try to finish all the old year's business...but decided that's a lost cause this year. Each year I lose too much ground. There's just too much undone to start the year without 2007 baggage.
True to New England weather, the day was gray and alternated between heavy snow and rain. The temperature was at least kind and stayed above freezing so there does not seem to be a significant accumulation. We missed breaking a record for the most snow in December by .2 inch. Some records seem irrelevant, especially if you've been shoveling and sliding for the month to reach it. Missing the record was hardly a disappointment.
TV on New Year's Day seems to be for football lovers mainly...well, the hawkers of great bargains were also pretty visible, as well. I am the adman's worst nightmare. I cannot remember a single product from an ad I have seen. I don't even need a mute button to tune them out. I even got caught up in college football in which I usually have zilch interest. The Miami-Michigan game was exciting, to my surprise. Despite that, I could not muster interest in the Rose Bowl and turned a Twilight Zone repeat. One was enough, then I moved onto the evening News. Why does the media think it must predict the outcome. Is it some sort of game to see which staffers win the pool or is it more insidiously prepping the public, the political sheep?
The best part of the day was that I had total peace and quiet until early evening, more or less....broken up by a few phone calls, some more favorably received than others. That is the way most days go. The holiday was not different. I never screen calls, maybe I should though I don't have a problem getting rid of telemarketers, If available I would always speak to friends and relatives. Even with caller ID, I still take all calls. Some of my more private friends make it more difficult by listing themselves as 'private caller'. So I just take all calls.
I tried to envision how others were spending the day. Then I asked myself, "Why would I care?" Maybe they are playing with their Christmas toys. Maybe they want to be with people. Maybe they are hungover from last night's partying. Maybe they wouldn't be thrilled that it was warm enough for me to wash the kitchen window and get rid of all the spider's webs I had watched all Fall, to clean them out when they froze. With no one there to tell me I shouldn't be doing it, I climbed a ladder, padded the edge of the sink so it wouldn't hurt my bone-on-bone knee joint and washed the window inside and out, top and bottom panes! That was MY Mount Everest for the day as I realized when I read an account by a friend who had walked home in a snowstorm for 5 hours and considered it HIS Mount Everest! What a delight to feel even minor accomplishments are major! If only all problems were so simple.
Was my mother right? Will the rest of my year be peaceful, pleasant and productive? I certainly hope so.
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