New Year

Happy new year!

We’ve all agreed that January doesn’t exist, yes? January is — hiatus, snooze button, whatever. It’s our collective hangover from the year prior. It’s the year’s trial internship. February is when we say, Okay, 2020, I guess you’re hired, let’s go.

If you slept through January, that’s okay.

(Don’t worry, people with January birthdays; you’re all ethereal fae folk, born in the weird liminal space between years, so let that be your consolation.)

January — and, let’s be honest, some of early February — is fallow time. It’s needful. It’s important to sleep through it a little, to hibernate, to stop and sit down where you are and take stock. Here in this corner of the world, the days are still slow and dark and cold; all the winter holidays are done and now there’s just a stretch of ice-gray time unwinding between here and the days of first forsythia.

Don’t make resolutions on January 1st. Stretch into the year a little, get a feel for it and for yourself. In fact, don’t make resolutions at all; set goals. Use the empty time of January to reflect on the last year, on what you need in a new year. Do an inventory. Check in. In February, set some goals for yourself. Let them be goals, aspirations, nothing so mundane as losing ten pounds: I want to study a new language. I want to read a book a week. I want to color my hair blue. I want to learn to sew, to sing, to make sushi. What do you want from the year? What can 2020 offer you? What can you offer yourself in 2020? Be brave, but be gentle too.

Anyway, this is one thing I want from 2020. It’s been sixteen years since I last properly had a blog. I know blogging isn’t really the Done Thing anymore, all the Youths and fresh faces are on Instagram and YouTube, but I am neither a Youth nor a fresh face and I want to learn to edit video did not make my list of 2020 aspirations. I’m just going to stay here where it’s quiet, with my seed catalogs and my plans and my daydreams, and you’re welcome to join me.

Or not, as you please. It’s your year.

So happy new year to you, and happy February.

Yes, I’m aware it’s the 12th.