Welcoming 2024
I wrote this post this morning at a lovely cafe in Waterloo called Midnight Run. It felt somewhat redemptive to be sitting there and writing because it was somewhere that Ricky and I had planned to visit over our Christmas break, but then sadly didn’t get to because I was sick. It was exciting to get to be there together today.
Today I’m storing away the last of the Christmas decorations- a pair of festive goblets, one Christmas mug, and the strand of lights in our big window. We burned our Christmas candle all way down last night while watching Good Grief, and today I’ll set out the new vanilla-scented candle in its place. January feels just feels like vanilla to me- not in the bland sense of the word, but in a comforting and simple way.
I truly enjoy the Christmas season but find that it accelerates to a delightful and terrifying frenzy that wears me out all the way. January is a welcome change of pace, despite being a little unsettling so far. A few things have made it feel strange for me. I had a week of holidays but caught a yucky something that at first just left me feeling exhausted and foggy, and then progressed to congestion and coughing, with an earache and possibly pink eye. On the tail end of all that, I returned to work for a strange week of helping with the childcare program at school, wherein I played many games of Spot It and a Yahtzee-style of dice game. (And I was glad to do it. Who would have ever thought that I’d be the one suggesting that we play a game? It occupied the kids in good ways and made the time go faster for me.) On the same day that I went back to work, Ricky had his first day at a new job. We’re excited about his new job, but it requires a few schedule changes since he is no longer working from home. It was a week of considering what some new routines might be for us since we are a one-car type of couple.
All in all, it was a weird first week of 2024 and I struggled to feel enthusiasm for the new year or even really catch of a vision of what exciting things it might hold. I know that 2024 will have many lovely things about it… I just don’t know yet what they are. 2023 was a year of exciting changes throughout the year- college, placement, graduation, supply EA work, summer holidays, and then settling into a permanent position. At the beginning of the year, I was able to look ahead and kind of anticipate what would be happening and when. 2024 isn’t like that. We don’t have any big, set-in-stone plans in the works. When I consider the goals that I chose for the year, I can see that 2024 is most likely going to be a year of small steps forward, in preparation for bigger things in future years. It will be good for me to keep that in mind- really, an exercise in contentment and commitment. I can be susceptible to choosing immediate gratification instead of holding onto my long-term vision and values, so it will be good to practice making the choices that contribute to some long-term goals.
Here are a few of the things that I am looking forward to in 2024:
Trying out at least one new form of exercise
Completing a few writing projects that I’ve been dabbling in for far too long
Practicing asking work-related questions to the wise and experienced people around me there
Summer holidays! (AKA surviving my first school year as an EA)
Spending time with friends and family
Working on figuring out what a good morning routine is for this stage of my life
Here’s a new year! May it be filled with beautiful adventures- both big and small.
What are you looking forward to in 2024?
This was a sweet post. You were embroidery is beautiful. I'm looking forward to a visit to Thailand in 2024 Lord willing. ~Luci