In with the new

I have always been a little superstitious about New Year’s Eve. It pains me to admit it, because I realize how ridiculous that sounds. It’s not necessarily that I get hung up in the clichés of fresh starts and resolutions. I have just always found that my New Year’s Eve sets the tone for the entire next year.

I didn’t make a ton of plans this year like I always do. In fact, the plans I did make were last-minute, along with our unexpected but much-loved company of my Portland love G and her boyfriend. I just wanted to be sporting sequins and out on the town with good people and good drinks.

That’s exactly what I did, although it didn’t turn out how I expected. We started at a party at a private venue with good drinks and great music. It was an ideal place to begin an evening, but we decided it wasn’t where we needed to be at midnight. We headed back to our eclectic neighborhood and rang in the new year with some sassy gays on Capitol Hill. I felt fabulous in my sequin-trimmed dress and my red lipstick, and my red pumps stayed on until the cold walk home.

It was a strange and wonderful adventure overall. There were some mishaps, but I did a lot of laughing and woke up today with far more good memories than bad. Last night did not set the tone for this year as it has never failed to do in the past. Not even close. My night was actually synonymous with my 2012, in fact. There were good times and bad times and I was able to see what I need to keep in my life and what I need to let go of.

The timing of this new year just so happens to coincide with my decision to make some changes in my life, so yes, I made some goals and resolutions. And I know I’m not setting myself up for disappointment, because these are things I am ready to do. There’s no point in sticking with things that no longer serve me or my highest good, and each one of my goals will result in my having a more fulfilling life.

Last night was an ideal way to end the year. Today is the perfect way to begin the new one. I am about to take G to brunch with two of my other favorite women in the world, where we will discuss our goals and dreams and everything new we want to have happen for us this year. Tonight I will enjoy the company of the man that I love and settle in for the exciting adventures that lay before us.

Letting go of the baggage that weighs us down leaves more room for good things to come in. It’s when we release the things that no longer work for us that we open ourselves up to so many new things. And that, my friends, is when miracles occur.

Cheers to fresh starts, sparkly new years, hopes and dreams, goal-setting, releasing the old and letting the new come rushing in.