Well.
That’s over with.
And it is all a blur . . .
Am I talking, specifically, about . . .
(a) The Holidays?
(b) The Advent Calendar?
(c) The Root Canal?
(d) The Blog Break?
(e) All of the Above?
And, yes. Of course. The answer would be (e).
All. Of. The. Above.
Maybe you remember that before I launched my advent calendar on December 1, I felt like I had run out of things to SAY here on the blog. Well. After essentially taking about 6 weeks away from “normal” blog posting, I now have P-L-E-N-T-Y of things to tell you about! So much pent up blog fodder! A plethora of potential posts.
But today, I’ll start with this . . .
“Begin as you mean to go on . . . “
I hear this phrase all the time as the new year rolls around. I’m really not a superstitious type, so I don’t actually believe that there’s really anything TO that phrase, but it is a nice notion for the start of a new year. It’s so very . . . open to interpretation. I like to think of it applying to our lives in very broad strokes. As in . . . I’m hoping to pay attention to my health, so I’ll begin the new year by going for a walk and eating a healthy meal. Or . . . I’m hoping to spend time making things in the new year, so I’ll begin by casting on a new project. That kind of begin-as-you-mean-to-go-on.
And it’s all well and good. If the beginning of your new year is relatively . . . calm. And flexible. And you have some control over what you’re doing.
But what if . . . you’re beginning the year with something unpleasant that you can’t really do anything about. Like, say . . . a root canal? Because, well. Surely no one wants to “go on” with more dental work, y’know? Or any low-level, pre-root canal stress-and-dread leading up to the procedure. NOT my idea of a good way to begin anything, let alone a whole new year.
But that was me.
Luckily, like I said, I’m not superstitious, so I know I’m not doomed to a year of dental dread and anxiety just because my new year started out that way. But it did get me thinking. Because we can’t always “begin as we mean to go on.” I mean, sometimes we begin the year with something crappy; something we really can’t control. Impending dental work or medical procedures. Or the flu. Sadness. Grumpiness. Sickness. Overwhelm. There are so many ways we would prefer . . . not to go on with.
So. First of all, let’s just stop with the pressure to start-as-we-mean-to-go-on. Or, at least as it applies to New Year’s Day. Because . . . we can actually start-as-we-mean-to-go-on ANY old day. New Year’s Day is not magical. We can “start” anything on any day we choose! (In fact, the original quote by Charles H. Spurgeon was this: “Begin as you mean to go on, and go on as you began, and let the Lord be all in all to you.” It didn’t have anything to do with the new year, and everything to do with, well . . . a more biblical interpretation.)
Further, if your new year didn’t quite start the way you’d hoped it might, and you’re feeling kind of bad about it, well. Just try reframing! For me, I realized (as I was sitting in the dentist chair), that I was beginning the new year . . . By caring for my health. By being brave. By trusting a trained professional to take care of me. By keeping my sense of humor in spite of a crappy situation. By resting and recovering.
It could be a lot worst than that when it comes to starting-as-I-mean-to-go-on.
=====
Okay. So maybe you’re wondering where I got that blurred shot at the top of this page?
Or maybe not.
But it’s a pretty funny story, so here goes . . .
I make it a point to not blog about people I don’t know (or even people that I do know) and places that are not mine to share ever. But I decided I’d make an exception last month. Sadly, I lost my nerve and had a major camera fail. So all you get are . . . blurry photos.
Anyway. My neighborhood puts together a pretty good showing when it comes to Christmas lights. Some of my neighbors go a bit . . . over-the-top and crowd their yards with all manner of things. Some are more minimalist (me included). Some even go as far as having professionals install their displays (I know. . . ).
And then . . . we have the Leg Lamp House!
I absolutely apologize for the quality of this photo. It was dark. I was using my phone. They could see me out there. I was sheepish about taking pictures of someone else’s house. Although I would argue that anyone who puts up TEN Leg Lamps (count ’em. . . there are TEN!) (don’t miss the two outdoor Leg Lamps on the front porch) WANTS to be noticed; is BEGGING to be noticed. AmIright?
Anyway. EVERY front window of their house sports a full size Leg Lamp (plus the two on the porch).
I mean . . . this is Total Commitment To A Theme.
When I could see I was incapable of taking a decent photo of the spectacle (and it truly IS a spectacle), I put my phone back in my pocket . . . and got the blurred shot you see at the top of this post. Just think of it as hundreds of shining Leg Lamps! (Because that is what it is.)
(And if you’re my neighbors and these are your Leg Lamps and you happen to be reading this . . . well. I hope you won’t mind my sharing your most spectacular light display. Your Leg Lamps bring me such joy! I drive by/walk by every chance I get, and I direct all my visitors past your house, too.)
“that I was beginning the new year . . . By caring for my health. By being brave. By trusting a trained professional to take care of me.” Exactly this!
The leg lamp house is hilarious. Thanks for sharing that.
I was thinking of “begin as you mean to go on” as well (and NOT at all in the religious way) but rather a framing of things I want to focus on as the days go by… a sort of “setting the tone” for myself. But I think that doing hard things… taking care of oneself… are the absolute best way to set the tone for the days to come. You remind yourself (and all of us reading) that self-care is the best “setting the tone” for everyone!
And those Leg Lamps! Oh. My. Gosh! If your neighbors happen to read this… Thank you for spreading such spectacular delight!
Now that I know that phrase has a religious twist . . . I’m DONE with it. hahahaha! You put a great spin on having to have dental work at the start of the year. You could also think there’s no place to go but up after that! Seriously, though, it’s done and out of the way and you did it. I hope it wasn’t too terrible. As for those leg lamps, that’s something else. Wow.
I never knew the full quote before, so thank you for enlightening me; I’m certainly giving it the side-eye now! I was going to say that starting off the year with a “woot canaw” (to be said in the voice of C.J. from The West Wing) isn’t pleasant but is a way of looking after your health, but of course I should have known that you would already have reframed it in a good way! I hope it wasn’t too painful. Also, I think if you buy and display that many leg lamps, you are just asking for people to take photos of your house and post them on the internet.
Your neighbors have figured out how to stand out among all the Santa Clauses, nativities, and inflated Christmas things! And I like the errant blurry photo. I keep a file of those because I seem to take a lot of them and they can be interesting.
I’ve actually been thinking a lot about the whole New Year thing, in general, as I know two people who lost their middle-aged spouses on Jan. 1. And I’ve thought how, well, just how awful and devastating for them, no words for it, of course. And how lightly…really lightly…we should take the whole Jan. 1 thing. Be glad to meet each day, any day.
Glad your dental work is done and I hope it wasn’t awful. Taking care of oneself is crucial (and my January and February calendars are filled with a check up with my PCP, another eye appointment, a dermatology appointment, etc., etc.). At this stage of my life I feel as though when I finally get all the appointments taken care of, it’s time to start all over again! LOL I do tend to spend January 1st doing things I hope to do throughout the year – knitting, reading, stitching. I do try to NOT do chores like cleaning or laundry. But that is just me wanting another day of rest after the holidays.
Welcome back and so sorry you had to kick off the year with unpleasant dental work (ugh) … I love the Leg Lamps! There is ONE house on our December morning walk that displays one in their front window – and they have a Grinch near the front walk, taking down the lights. There is something about that not-over-the-top and yet not-nothing display that brings me much joy. Happy 2024!!
That is a hoot! We had a neighbor down the way with just one. I was pretty impressed with that, and then………………well, he certainly has been one (or ten) upped with that one. LOL The blurry shot would make an interesting carpet wouldn’t it? Going for that Aztec look? You could.
Hope the root canal went well and that you are feeling top notch. From experience I know that you can “start over” any ol’ day you wish. And really, should we put all that pressure on New Year’s Eve (or day)?
Because New Year’s Day is the day that Christmas is put away in our house, I never think about the ‘begin as you wish to go on’. Instead, I did commit to a few different year long craft projects to try to up my crafting game, and I’m really excited about them, so there’s that! Glad you’re back!
That home is so great and so wanting to be seen. Really a pretty creative idea. Hope the tooth is feeling better Kym!
I am glad your root canal is over and done (and that you are fully recovered). Taking care of ourselves isn’t always pleasant; for example, I have a colonoscopy scheduled for this Friday. I know the actual procedure is a big nothing burger because I will be fully sedated, but… the multi-day prep is a PITA (pun intended).
I hope the root canal went well and your mouth is healing. I dealt with a bit of a sore mouth in all of December (it’s a long story) and by January it is on the mend – finally. I agree it’s a good idea to take the pressure off the first day of January. I like to ease into the New Year and not think everything has to be spotless because it’s never going to be that way at my house. 😉
Well that confused me as we don’t call them leg lamps in England. I had to study that picture to know that you meant Standard Lamps. I much prefer the term Leg Lamps though. Standard as opposed to Table lamps. I’m glad your dental work went well, never a pleasant experience but better done than not done. So Happy New Year and keep looking after yourself. I had a lung assessment on account of my vast age- over the Phone. Apparently I should be ok and I don’t need to see anyone. Not quite sure how good a phone assessment could be, but I told the truth, so hopefully lungs are really ok.
I envy you, Kym, your neighborhood light and Christmas/Holiday display! In recent years my close-in neighborhoods have lost their Halloween and Christmas glitz.. No more walking to That House where doom and very vocal front porch gloom could scare the pants off a small but delighted child and we now have to Drive a mile or two to a neighborhood during Advent to see lighted Santa Clauses and Christmas trees on every single front lawn (they could probably sell tickets). So, Lucky You and thanks for the sharing!…The thing I hated most about root canals (I may have had two, memory mercifully forgets) is having to keep my mouth open for so long. Glad yours is now behind you! Chloe
That is the best Christmas house ever! The sense of humor and all the effort (and light bills) to put it together must mean they are very cool neighbors. Your post shows us the perfect way to frame our thoughts on how the new year should start. You always know the right thing to say. Hope the procedure went well (sounds like it did)!