The end is near! At the strike of twelve midnight on the clock and the ball drops in Times Square 2009 will be gone for good.
For me 2009 was not the best of years for me nor was it the worst. I was layed off from my job, my money became very tight, a very dear friend passed away. And it seemed that no matter which way I turned I kept running into brick walls of some sort or another. But, I also like to acknowledge the good – renewed friendships, summer vacation, Christmas vacation, my family and friends are all here and healthy, I still own my house and miracle of miracles it still has some equity in it. I still have a 401k that wasn’t completely obliterated! And so much more. 2010 is the year I feel that many of my personal struggles are behind me and to ensure a good year I will partake in some old traditions and some new to say good-bye 2009 and hello 2010.
In the past, I have been let down more than be excited by the romance and promise of New Years Day. It seemed no matter how I have spent the last day of the year whether partying, romancing, or a quiet night at home and yes there have been more than I can count that have been alone that New Years Day was such a let down. When I awoke on the New Year morning, the goals and dreams I made the night before didn’t magically appear on January 1. Not like Christmas where you wake up and “Santa” had been there and there were pretty packages containing wonderful gifts. No New Years Day fairy godmother waiting to grant me my wishes. It was the same old me that went to bed the night and year before. It was just a let down. I woke to still the same extra 10lbs I wanted to lose, sometimes woke with a raging hangover (depending on what new years eve it was) the same bills, alone no prince charming making me breakfast or worse the same guy I thought would turn into prince charming and no magical millions of dollars appeared in my bank account. sigh. I know very, very childish. Especially for me who believes in the mindset of life is how you see it and it’s up to you, happiness is a choice. Sometimes that mindset causes me much anxiety because as much as I believe it, I fear it. Because I think that I am choosing to be happy etc. but it is darn difficult when life keeps throwing boulders on your nice bed of roses.
Years ago, while I was grieving the loss of my boyfriend for the 3rd year of his passing, another good friend of mine invited me to go out with our group of friends to a big New Years Eve party at a club. At first, I did protest with all my might, I mean who was I to go and be happy and have fun and GASP maybe meet someone new and kiss someone and toast champagne after I had lost the love of my life 3 years before? I was deeply entrenched in my grieving and not dealing well with it at all with it. That’s another story. But my good friend, Lety insisted. She told me, that back in her country (Mexico) her family and friends believe that whatever you are doing at midnight on New Years Eve is the preclude to what your coming year will be like. I thought about this seemingly silly tradition of hers and then thought of my past New Years Eve sitting alone, doing nothing with no one and yes, the following new years had been pretty much the same. This tradition of my friends is what convinced me to go out. I wanted to find out if this was true and would being with a group of my crazy friends, drinking champagne at a party and kissing some, any cute guy in proximity of me at the strike of 12 would make my coming new year better. That New Years Eve was really fun. We laughed, danced, drank champagne, celebrated a birthday too that night. And at midnight, out of the blue and very cute and much younger than me guy grabbed me and gave me a great big kiss. Nice. It was a fun night and much better than sitting at home alone, being blue. I am not sure if that night really affected my new year but I am glad I went out. Because there hasn’t since been another New Years Eve like that one. Just for the record, I don’t knock staying at home on New years eve. For several years now, I have chosen to stay home on New years eve with friends or family and sometimes alone.
But no more sad, pitiful ones. Now, I am excited again about a fresh new year coming and all the good things that can happen. I know that nothing is going to magically change overnight but I do make goals. Some are realistic, some are dreamy and some are an effort to make my life more enjoyable and me a better person. And still deep down inside, I leave a room for the magic to surprise me…somewhere within the new year.
New and Old New Years Eve and Day Traditions:
1.) Black eyed peas – represent prosperity, money
2.) Cornbread – represents gold
3.) cabbage, or greens of some kind – represent cash
4.) 12 grapes at midnight one for each of the months of the year – said to bring good luck
5.) Burn last years calendar (if you have a fireplace) and say “ burn, burn calendar burn, last years worries never return”.
6.) Just before midnight open all the doors and windows for a few minutes to let out the past years negative vibrations
7.) Light and burn a Bayberry candle and let it burn til the end so you might want to get a short candle or taper. Say this poem: A Bayberry candle when burned to the socket bring luck to my home and money in my pocket.
8.) Take a two sheets of paper and on one sheet write at the top Let Go Of: and then list any habits, worries and or problems that you are ready to let go of. On the other sheet of paper at the top of the page write, Bring To Me: then list your desire(s) wishes and hopes. When you are finished take them to the fireplace and burn them. One by one. Burn the page titled Let Go first because you have to let go of the old to make room for the new. When you do this visualize the problems and worries burning, burning and never returning. Then burn the Bring To Me page and visualize the smoke carrying your hopes and wishes out to the universe and God and coming back to you made manifest.
9.) Make sure you clean your house the day before… no cleaning or sweeping on New years day. They say that sweeps out the good luck.
10.) New Years Day make sure your cupboards are full and your pockets to ensure prosperity and good eating all year.
Many Blessings for you all in 2010!
Cheri
Thank you for this. Good post!