Do you have traditions to mark the change from one year to the next? I have a friend who opens the back door at midnight to let the old year out, then opens the front door to let the new one in. This must have come along with her English heritage, as it’s an abbreviated form of an older custom. I think it’s a charming idea.
Last year at this time, I started what I think will be an ongoing tradition for me. It’s a simple variation on a gratitude journal. You write down positive things that happen throughout the new year and put them in a specific container. I just took a large jar, labeled it “2023 – Good things”, and put some little slips of paper nearby. At first, I tried to write something every week. In reality, it was often not that often, but the important thing is I continued to drop the slips in. By now, there’s a nice little collection of notes in the jar, which I look forward to reading. There’s already a new label ready––”gratitude jar 2024″. I want to continue this, as it encourages me to look for, pay attention to, and remember the good things.
Perhaps you’ve heard of negativity bias. It refers to the fact humans tend to remember negative events more than positive ones. This trait developed as a matter of survival. Remembering negative outcomes or close calls, and learning from those, could be a matter of life and death. This was especially important in the distant past. Not so much with not remembering positive events. However, too much negativity is bad for our mental health. There’s already plenty of negativity around us. The habit of noting positives can help you balance things out a bit. You can make note of small moments of joy, important events, and even valuable learning that came from a tough time. Of course, the contents of each person’s jar will be unique.
Tonight, as we say goodbye to the old year, I will open my jar and read what is written on all those little slips of paper. It will be one more opportunity to remember––and to give thanks (both of which are common themes in Scripture).
Before I close, I’d like to share the last thing that went into my jar. Yesterday was a typical Pacific Northwest winter day, dark and raining…and we have a few months to go. As I sat down to start this post, I glanced out the window. For a moment, it looked like there were pink buds on the tree outside! I quickly realized I was actually seeing the sunset colors shining through the drops of water on the branches. The momentary reminder of spring when I thought I saw buds, as well as the beauty of the sunset colors in the water droplets, provided a moment of joy and I made note. I also took a photo, which doesn’t quite do it justice but allows me to share something of the sight.
Wishing you a blessed New Year.
