I use this day to stock my shelves and refrigerator with groceries and celebratory treats. I spread rocks on the mud at the top of the driveway and move and tend plants.
I ignore my desk but hang its new calendar The waterfalls of 2007 give way to "A Small Untroubled World," the Art of Gustave Baumann. My daily calendar this year is Georgia O'keefe. I need her way of seeing.
I note that people are reflecting back on their year. This one went so fast that it is a bit of a blur. If I were to sum it up in one word, the word would be "gratitude."
Two years ago at this time I was in chemotherapy. That has given me new friends, understanding, and appreciation. My head clears a little more each day and still there is often a fog, a mist, and that is okay. I am well-aware that each day added is a gift.
I read that we should eat round things on New Year's Day, like lentils and black-eyes peas to bring us wealth. The round shape comes from the days of coins. I suppose today's times mean we should eat rectangles shaped like credit cards, but instead I will celebrate the realm of round and eat cherries baked in a cherry pie.
May each of you savor this New Year's Eve in the ways that bring you inner and outer peace.
