New Year, New Starts, and Why Your Stuff Matters
Hey there!
And here we are at the start of another year and it’s been weird so far…for me anyway. So, I decided to look into celebrating the Chinese New Year instead and see how that goes. Maybe starting the year on January 29th will be better?
Here’s hoping! Being of very distant, pretty boring, typical Irish heritage, I had to look into this a bit and it’s the Year of the Snake, the Wood Snake to be specific. Since I am really not into snakes, I wasn’t like “Yay, Snakes!” But with a little Googling, I learned:
The snake represents wisdom, intuition, and strategic growth.
The wood element adds growth, resilience, and harmony to the snake's nature.
The year is said to emphasize growth, adaptability, and creativity.
It's also said to be a time for personal and professional development.
People may experience growth and renewal.
It may be a time for seizing opportunities and navigating challenges.
It may be a time for personal and professional breakthroughs.
People may experience strong career luck.
People may experience fame and fortune.
There’s some good stuff here! I like it better than my sad resolutions that are certain to fail.
And here’s another fun fact for you just in case, like me, January 1st was a bomb and then also maybe January 29th doesn’t work out for you, you could look to April 1st. I know! Who knew!? Apparently, the new year used to be more closely related to the Spring Equinox but then Pope Gregory XIII came along and the Gregorian calendar was replaced by the Julian calendar and so Jan 1 was made the start of the year. There are a lot of variations of this story but whatever, there’s hope for a start over if you need one!
Yes, I am making light of what I feel like has been a heavy start to what has already been a long year. I had an entirely different newsletter ready to go, but it just didn’t seem right. I needed some levity, some hope, and something about a chance to start over. I, of course, have the fire victims in LA foremost in my mind.
Interestingly, the morning after I wrote this newsletter, I came across a podcast that felt so poignant in its timing. Simon Sinek, in his podcast A Bit of Optimism, talked about walking through his home saying thank you to his stuff as he was planning to evacuate due to the fires. I was taken aback by how the universe works sometimes—it felt like an echo of exactly what I had been thinking about as I reflected on the meaning of home and the importance of our "stuff." The episode covers a lot, but that particular segment stayed with me.
I was going to write about home and the importance of home and I was going to focus on how it’s not about the stuff but the memories and the feelings within those four walls. It’s of course all of that. I love creating those spaces for people. I know that sounds corny, but that’s my purpose. I found it and I love to do it…even when it’s really, really hard. But you know what? It Is about the stuff too.
It’s about the stuff because hopefully, the stuff reflects who you are. It reminds you of a place. It makes you smile when you see it. It’s your very first piece of art that you put on layaway until you paid it off and could bring it home. Maybe it was something custom-made for you.
Like these two pieces here that are both incredibly special to me—one is a piece that makes me think of my Uncle George, done by a local artist, and the other is my very first real piece of art, a Ken Grant that I purchased from White Bird Gallery in Cannon Beach.
Or may be it was just an awesome blanket that gave you comfort when you needed it. May be it was something given to you by your favorite Auntie. It might be a little scratched or discolored but it’s so beautiful to you. Stuff can mean things and what surrounds you should. When people's homes burn to the ground and they and their families and pets are still alive, that is a clear blessing. But, they are definitely mourning the loss of their stuff and we should give them space for that. Because it’s more than stuff it’s what the stuff represents and that can’t be replaced.
So, I hope for the victims of this tragic wildfire, and for all of the victims of the recent weather-related tragedies that are still putting the pieces of their lives together, that the Year of the Wood Snake is good to them. We could all use some “resilience”, “adaptability” and “renewal” but they deserve it in spades. If you’re looking for ways to help communities that have been hit hard by disasters, consider checking out grassroots efforts like Hearts With Hands or the California Wildfire Relief Fund. Every little bit helps when it comes to getting families back into spaces they can call home again.
Next month I hope to tell you more about my trip over the holidays and I do truly hope your new year is off to a good start. If not, remember, there’s hope, there’s always hope!
‘Til next time,
Arlene