New Year’s Day 2013

New Year’s Day has arrived like the first bookend on a shelf labeled 2013. We don’t know what books may be placed on the shelf between now and the arrival of the final bookend next New Year’s Eve. We’re hopeful that they will be nice, pretty books. But I think most of us live in the real world and we know it’s likely that somewhere on the shelf someone will place bloody, deranged books. We hope we don’t see those books this year, but with each passing year they seem to arrive more frequently, so I’m thinking we’ll see at least one. Be prepared.

This New Year’s Day is a grey, wintry day. It’s dark, and sometimes a cold rain falls. I read somewhere that centuries ago European peasants would go into their austere abodes at the beginning of winter and they would, basically, hibernate for the duration. They would get up to eat and take care of bodily functions, but then they would crawl back into their little nests and get under blankets and wait for spring. I don’t know if that’s true, but certainly there was little reason to be up and about in a cold house. There was no radio, no television, no shopping malls, no theaters, no cars, nothing but bare trees and frozen creeks and maybe a few animals to be fed. I think I’d hibernate, too.

I made a few New Year’s resolutions. It doesn’t seem like a real New Year’s Day without having at least a few resolutions that I can abandon at a future date. I can’t mention what my resolutions are. If no one knows what they are, then no one will know when I abandon them. I don’t want everyone to know that I ran out of willpower so quickly.

I didn’t buy black eyed peas, again. I never buy black eye peas for the New Year. If a serving of black eyed peas on January 1 really does bring good luck, then I suppose I’m a victim of my own karma. And I like black eyed peas. Both the legume and the group. So I have no excuse.

Though I don’t have black eyed peas, I do have Ezekiel bread in my freezer, and a few thawed slices in the fridge.  (You have to keep it frozen or it will spoil.) Ezekiel is supposed to have lived only on this bread for 390 days. The bread is said to be nutritionally complete. It’s not made from flour; it’s made from sprouted grains, which are more nutritious. I’m going to assume that karma will let me substitute Ezekiel bread for black eyed peas just this once. And perhaps some cream cheese on the bread? And a wee bit of blueberry preserves on the cream cheese? Karma, you rock!

Everyone, have a great New Year! Let’s try to make it through 2013 and come out on the other side in good shape. May we all receive, and create, good karma this year. Be good, do good.