New Year’s Eve, a 40th birthday and a blue moon — all in one night. Many people would have a big party, but Kylen chose to celebrate alone.
Well, it’s that time of year again when the festive season is wrapping up and we are facing a climactic celebratory entrance into yet another new year. It seems so unreal to me that 2010 is already drawing to a close — it seems only a few short months ago that we rang in the first year of an entire new decade.
There are several ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve. For many people, it is yet another excuse to drink copious amounts of alcohol and party into the wee hours of the morning. I don’t know about you, but the very last thing I want to do is be surrounded by a bunch of ridiculously intoxicated people at a bar waiting to plant a big wet one on whomever happens to be beside them at midnight. Yah, I’ll pass, thanks.
For others, ringing in the New Year may consist of a modest gathering of family and friends, often accompanied by a wide assortment of finger foods and rum n’ eggnog and everyone poised with their noise makers, awaiting the stroke of midnight to ring in the New Year in merriment with loved ones.
I personally prefer the latter, but New Year’s Eve has never really been that big a deal for me. “Highly overrated,” I often thought to myself — that is, until last year. December 31st, 2009 was a particularly significant day in my life. Not only was it the eve of entering an entirely new calendar decade, it was also the eve of stepping into my forth decade of life. Yes, 2010 was the year of my 40th birthday, a milestone to say the least.
There also happened to be a blue moon that night, the second to occur within a month. Astrologically, for those of you who appreciate such things, this is rare and quite significant in itself. Needless to say, all of these pieces aligned to make this a magical New Year’s indeed. one worthy of significant consideration.
In light of this, you might assume that I would undoubtedly choose to celebrate this magnificent momentous occasion by surrounding myself with my most favourite and beloved people. Instead, I chose to celebrate alone,in the comfort and sanctuary of my own home. For this was a very special day. As the only one of it’s kind in my entire lifetime, this particular New Year’s Eve deserved special attention, and it proved to be one of the most blissful, amazing experiences I could have ever imagined.
I wholeheartedly wanted to begin this new exciting chapter of my life on the best footing possible. Thus, I chose to celebrate this magical alignment with an entire day steeped with the power of intention of what I truly wanted to change, attract and manifest for myself in 2010 and for future years to come — a super amped version of making New Year’s resolutions, if you will. My day consisted of many rituals that nourish, cleanse, energize, relax and revitalize the mind, body and soul.
It is not my intention to keep you in suspense; however, I am going to spare you the ‘gory’ details of how my day unfolded. Not only because it would make this quite a lengthy article — it was also a tremendously sacred event in my life, story best shared upon inquiry and with those in my immediate physical presence.
However, what I will share — and what I found to be profoundly interesting — is the common response I received from people after they asked me how I had spent my New Year’s. When I told them that I had spent it “Completely. By. My. Self!” (as I put it with a smile) I was most often met with a sad face accompanied by “Awww, I’m sorry!” to which I would gleefully reply, “No no no! It was actually by choice, and believe it or not, it was the best New Year’s EVER!!”
Both surprised by my response and curious as to what could possibly possess anyone to actually “choose” to spend New Year’s Eve alone, they would ask me what made it the best one ever. And so I shared my story: the significance of the aligned elements at play that day, and my desire to enter this magical and unique time in my life with powerful intention. And yes, if they were interested, they got the ‘gory’ details.
It really amazed me how many people actually felt sorry for me upon hearing I had rung in the New Year alone. For one, I have done a lot of soul searching over the years and have gratefully grown to quite enjoy my own company; and two, what also helps is that I don’t believe that we are ever truly “alone”, which is a very comforting belief to have, whether it’s actually true or not.
Once people heard more about my amazing evening of fun and ritual, I got a few strange looks but for the most part people were excited for me. Some even admitted that my evening sounded like a better way to spend New Year’s than theirs, and that I had inspired them to perhaps do something similar for themselves next year.
Well, that being said, here we find ourselves again, this time on the precipice of entering year number two of this second decade of the 21st century. It’s a time that heralds the age-old tradition of making “resolutions” for the New Year. However we choose to celebrate saying good-bye to 2010 and hello to 2011, remember that this is a time for new beginnings — an opportunity to reflect on what changes we wish to make in ourselves and in our lives in order to create more of what we want. It’s a time to manifest, whether it be more money, more success, more love and kindness, or getting in shape, quitting smoking, eating healthier, or even realizing world peace.
Whatever our wishes for the future, the underlying common denominator to anything we do in life is to attain more happiness.
So I ask you this: how will you choose to ring in the New Year? In the usual same old way or will you amp up the night with the power of intention and make this “a different kind of New Year”?
Whatever you choose, be sure to have yourselves an amazing, happy and safe 2011!!
Namasté
Photo Credit
“Thought for a Blue Moon”, The Whole Way
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dan L Hays. Dan L Hays said: RT @lifeasahuman: New Article, A Different Kind of New Year's Eve – http://tinyurl.com/292vv4x […]