Day 5: A New Year
He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen our salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
Luke 2:28-33
It’s January 1st and I’m still the same person I was the night before. Depending on the year, I may be hopeful or overwhelmed at the looming year ahead of me. Despite knowing that one day does not define my potential for an entire year, I continue to allow the marketing of the world to seduce me into seeing the first day of the calendar year as more significant than the others. Thankfully this usually wears off several weeks in, but nonetheless there can be a let down when the calendar turns its page to the first day of what everyone is saying should be a fresh start to the best me yet.
As I scroll through January 1st’s of years past, I realize that the only one I can clearly remember is an altogether unremarkable day for storytelling purposes: January 1st 2010. Fresh off a breakup and nearing thirty years old I woke up on that day of a new year and decided to spend it by myself. I watched “The Holiday”--my favorite guilty pleasure holiday movie--and walked the streets of Chicago with no destination in mind. It was a quiet day, without friend gatherings, without any set goals to workout more or eat less, without any concerns for the future. It was simply a day spent doing quiet activities by myself. At the time, I could feel that my activities (or lack thereof) on that day were special, but I didn’t really understand why.
Now, ten years, one husband, and three small children later, I continue to reflect on the magic of that New Year’s Day past. I marvel at its ability to be completely ordinary and yet also exceptional. Perhaps it is a magic that can’t be dissected or recreated but I’ll attempt to try. That day was spent not trying to change who I was but simply spending time with myself. Listening to what was honest to my needs in that moment. Not worrying about what others were resolving to do, not trying to create a dramatic change. January 1st is an opportunity, but not the one I think. It is an opportunity to continue on the journey I am already on. It is an opportunity to live another day to its best potential. It’s an opportunity to see that each day is created both equal in importance and yet completely unique.
In Luke 2 Jesus is presented at the temple. This was not something special Mary and Joseph did because they were told Jesus was God’s Son. This was something they did because it was prescribed according to the Law of Moses. It was a normal ritual. But when they arrived they were met by Simeon, who subsequently, by way of the Spirit, revealed the salvation that Jesus would bring in the coming years. And Mary and Joseph marveled. If you read on past this part of the passage, the next thing they do is return to Nazareth. They return to their lives. It will be another thirty years or so before Jesus reveals his potential to the world. While there may have been many exciting and wondrous things that occured from that moment at the temple until Jesus started performing miracles, there was also a lot of waiting.
The new year will not change me. January 1st is just a day like all the others. Perhaps I will go about my day and have a miraculous sign from God, or perhaps I will go about my day and it will feel the same as the others. As the new year approaches and I am tempted to believe this day holds my fate for the ones that come after, I will remind myself that the opportunities of the first day of this new year hold the same opportunities as today and tomorrow.
Questions:
Can you recall a favorite New Year’s Day of the past? How did you spend it?
Do you feel pressure for a new beginning at the first of the year?
What change are you putting off that you could start today?
