Off On the Right Foot

January is the time of looking back and looking forward. It is the time to review all that went on in the past year, and there was lots that went on! It’s also the time to look ahead at clean calendar pages and blocks. I always do some of both. Sometimes, in fact, it takes me a week or two to go through the process. 

Today, I’m going to reflect on New Year’s Day. It was a good one for me for a variety of reasons. 

People are always concerned about how to start the New Year. There is something about this day that folks tend to give greater importance. The very first day of the year is the moment of change. If we’ve told ourselves that this is the year that I’m going to …. you fill in the blank with whatever great impulse is moving within you…, then if we don’t actually do that from day one, we’ve set ourselves up for failure. It may not be a huge failure, but it seems as if we’ve started off poorly. It also tends to make us question whether we’ve made a wise choice or not. Are we really capable of the change we hope for? Can we truly improve ourselves as we envisioned? Is that dream we had going to come true, or simply drown amidst the ocean of good intentions? 

I have not made resolutions this year. I pretty much gave up on that years ago. Like so many unused gym memberships, I let it slide. 

So I have made intentions be the guiding principle for how to approach a new calendar. I can intend some directions, even if I fail in some details. I can intend to become a better person in some areas, even if I do not accomplish that every single day. I can intend to improve in a balanced and beneficial way, even if today was not the fulfillment of it. To me it seems more humane and humble to ourselves to work in this fashion. 

I will say that I got off on the right foot on New Year’s Day. I have an intention to rise early and accomplish some things before starting the activity of the ‘regular day.’ So I did, in fact, get up early. I drank some coffee and got myself dressed to take a walk. Walking is another one of those intentions; I intend to walk twice/day and to hike at least 365 miles again in 2025. 

I got myself out of the house and was fortunate to see the International Space Station (ISS) fly over. I find fascination in watching it and considering what’s happening there. At the moment two astronauts are there waiting for circumstances to be corrected so that they can return to the planet. Certainly wasn’t on their list to get stuck in space in 2024. Hopefully the return happens soon. 

It has also been a symbol of international cooperation through its history. People from many countries have been there for periods of time to work and learn. It is a sad thought that the ISS is going to be falling back to earth at some point in the foreseeable future. I hope we learn to cooperate in other ways that are so visible and inspiring. 

It was also good to get in a First Day Hike with the Pathfinders out at Seven Islands State Birding Park. We gathered and walked stopping to take pictures and make observations. We are a somewhat casual group and we hike for fellowship and fun. We talk and share stories. We learn about the place we are walking. We ask questions about flora and fauna; we also ask about history and geography (Is that Sevier County across the river?); we remind each other to hydrate and be healthy. 

This being the first day of the year we also had a toast! We had small cans of sugar-free Ginger Ale. We raised our cans and toasted to a happy and prosperous New Year. We were joined by a ranger from the park, making it even more special. 

After some conversations we made our way back to our cars for the return trip. So thankful to have such great spaces/places nearby. So thankful to have wonderful friends with which to share it all! 

Much of the rest of the day was spent with family. We played games and talked and cooked and dined on a delicious feast of ribs, mashed potatoes, southern cabbage, and deviled eggs. Tasty and healthy. 

I also texted and connected with friends throughout the day. Thankful for friends through the years—some of them for many, many years! Some are more recent additions to the friends list. All of them are precious. I intend to do a good job of letting them all know how important they are to me in the year ahead! 

In the evening I was out for another walk closer to home. I was able to reflect on the good things the day had brought: wonder, connection, nature, health, joy, laughter, fun, good fortune, and more. Was the day perfect? No—they never are. Was it good? Yes, in so many ways! 

I will not fulfill all my intentions perfectly. That’s okay. I’ll keep living in those directions and I will make progress. I do expect that I will be further along the way given months to keep moving.  And I get to remember that for the First Day I got started on the right foot! Literally!