"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves". ~Bill Vaughan
I am not sure who Bill Vaughan is, but he hit the nail on the head with that little quote. I used to consider myself an optimist, but the past year brought me enough challenges to make me question that. Oprah says "Cheers to the New Year and another chance for us to get it right". I like that too.
So, here's a toast to all of you lovely friends, and a heartfelt wish that 2012 brings you health, happiness and all that you desire.
What you see in the picture above is not anything particularly meaningful or momentous. What you see are clean surfaces. Yesterday I labored for hours to put away all the Christmas clutter decorations. I love my holiday nick nacks and enjoy every minute of them (up until about two days after Christmas). Around December 28, I get an itch to put every last trinket back into its box for another eleven months. Any of you who read my blog regularly know I love decorating, but there is something about January that calls for cleared surfaces and a minimum of fuss.
Do you have any special plans to celebrate the New Year tonight? I have trouble staying up until midnight any day of the year, and New Year's Eve is no reason to make an exception in my opinion! However, in light of the quote at the beginning of this post, I think I had better stay up until midnight to be sure 2011 really does go away. We will go over to my daughter's house, where a chef friend of theirs will be serving some exceptional hors d'ouerves and my son in law will uncork some of his fine wines.
Maybe we will even take part in my favorite New Years ritual. It is an Argentine custom that I adore. Right at midnight, you take your suitcase and run back and forth across the street a couple of times. That gives you good luck in all your travels over the upcoming year. I like to do it in the hope that I actually might have some travels in the upcoming year. Anyway, at the very least, it is a riot to see your family and friends running across the street dragging their rolling bags behind them.
Have a safe and happy New Year! I am looking forward to chatting with you all a lot more in the following months.