It’s one of those amazing days that we live for here in the South. It’s sunny and seventy degrees, barely a cloud in the sky, not what most people expect for the beginning of January. We spent the last two mornings packing up the holiday season and putting it into boxes, and now I’m content to sit on my back porch and listen to The Greatest Kid On The Planet run around the backyard with his friends and a football.
It’s hard to imagine how the holidays could have been any better. The Greatest Kid has been home from school for eighteen straight days, and we’ve made the most of each one, enjoying all of our favorite things. The moon was stunning and full just days before Christmas Eve, and on Christmas day, a magnificent waning gibbous followed us across town and then, later, joined us for our annual tour of holiday lights. It was the perfect Christmas filled with fun and family and a feast. The croquembouche, which we made with eggnog pastry cream and white chocolate, was a work of art thanks to my niece who loves creating in the kitchen as much as I do. And then, on New Year’s Eve, we danced the night away and welcomed 2019 with champagne and our favorite people.
It was the best holiday ever, but we say that every year.
There was a slight feeling of melancholy this past weekend as we put away the most wonderful time of the year for the time being. But that faint heaviness was outweighed by the excitement in the air for all that is to come. For as we say in our home, no matter where we are or what we’re doing, there is always something to look forward to.
For my part, I’m looking forward to baking my way through The Cookie Bible that Santa left under our tree. It’s teeming with over one hundred and thirty cookie recipes, and we’re having a hard time deciding which one should be first. I think the jolly old elf and The Greatest Kid were in cahoots this year.
And I’m looking forward to finishing what I started last year and starting something new. I don’t write a great deal during the month of December. The holiday season takes us out of our regular routine, and while it’s a welcome and much-needed respite, my mind never stops meandering, and by January, I’m anxious to put pen to paper. Last year, I connected with dozens of wonderful people and engaged in some truly moving and inspiring dialogue. I’m looking forward to continuing those conversations this year as well as those yet to come, and excited to see where it takes us.
But mostly, I’m excited for all that’s in store for The Greatest Kid this year, while trying, at the same time, not to acknowledge that he’s grown taller again, and that twelve is just a few weeks away. It’s the dichotomy of it all that I’ve been ruminating over this past week. Each year, at the beginning of January, there is always a feeling of anticipation for everything that’s ahead of us, but it’s mixed with a sense of nostalgia for what’s passed and all we’re leaving behind.
Last week, we were in Florida celebrating the new year, and as we brought the first day of 2019 to a close, we watched one of our favorite movies. If you haven’t seen The Hunt for Red October, you’re really missing out, and you should consider giving it a gander. Starring James Earl Jones, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glen, Sam Neill, and Sean Connery, it would be hard to conjure a better cast.
The movie is based on the Tom Clancy novel of the same name, and it tracks Captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius (Sean Connery) who is in command of a new Soviet nuclear submarine, the Red October, which is equipped with an innovative new stealth technology that makes it virtually undetectable. Ramius abandons his orders and heads for the coast of the United States aboard the Red October, along with his crew, with the intention of defecting. His plan puts him on the run from the Soviet fleet and in the path of the U.S. Navy and CIA agent, Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin), who is tasked with determining his motives.
It’s a tense movie and very well done. In one of my favorites scenes, Captain Second Rank Vasily Borodin, played by Sam Neill, is speaking to Captain Ramius about what it will be like to live in America. He decides he’ll have two homes, one in Montana and one in Arizona, and he will drive from state to state with “no papers.” It’s a moving scene that reminds us of all that we have and take for granted.
But my favorite part of the movie is the ending when Ryan and Ramius are aboard the Red October drifting silently through the Penobscot River in Maine, reminiscing about the past and reflecting on what is still in store. Ramius looks out at the river around him, which resembles the one where he learned to fish as a young boy, and he says, “And the sea will grant each man new hope, as sleep brings dreams of home. Christopher Columbus.” And Ryan responds, “Welcome to the new world, Sir.”
It’s a perfect ending, and it leaves you with a sense of nostalgia for all that is gone or lost, along with a sense of hope and wonder for all that is to come. And it was the perfect way to end the first day of the new year.
The other day, I said to The Greatest Kid, “It’s a new year. You can create whatever you want.” And he said, “Just like Bob Ross.” Lately, he’s become obsessed with watching Bob Ross on YouTube, and I find it hard not to join him. We love watching the way Bob started with a white canvas and created the most amazing images, and the outlook he shared as he did. There are no mistakes, just happy accidents. And it’s our world. We can make it look however we want.
That is how I feel at the start of each new year. The days ahead of us are a blank canvas, a wide open road, and there are no limits to where we can go and what we can create. And while I believe we should awaken each day feeling that way, I think sometimes we need to feel we’ve been granted a new beginning. And the new year affords us with that chance to start anew, to make something new or better, or, if needed, to right wrongs or heal past hurts.
It’s a chance for us to achieve that which we’ve yet to accomplish, to do something we’ve always wanted to do, or, maybe, to undo something we wish we hadn’t.
I find the hardest thing, for some of us, is to free ourselves from past mistakes or to change the things we know we need to change. But a brand new year grants us new hope to correct the things that didn’t go our way, to let go of that which hampers our happiness, or to release those thoughts and things which interrupt our peace of mind.
Sitting outside on a day like today, it’s hard not to feel excitement for the promise of all that lies ahead. We all have dreams we’d like to achieve. But above all, I think we should remember to be kind to ourselves. We needn’t hold ourselves captive or chained to the mistakes or choices we’ve made in the past.
No matter what has happened in previous days, weeks, months, or years, we can start over if we choose and free ourselves from lingering doubts, and guilt, or shame. It’s up to us to decide what we take with us into our future and what we leave behind. We can begin with a blank canvas and make something entirely new, or we can take what we have and make it even better.
The choice is ours. All we need to do is choose.
When we’re confident in the knowledge that we have the freedom to choose our own happiness, then perhaps we can learn to wake up each day with a renewed sense of wonder. No matter where we were before or what it looked like, today our life can be whatever we want.
It’s a new year. And each day is a new day, and a new world. And it’s ours to create.
Happy New Year, everyone. Welcome to the new world.
M.C. Greene
P.S. If you’re curious about the croquembouche, you’ll find the recipe in the Southern Living: Ultimate Christmas Cookbook. We prefer the white chocolate in this recipe to the traditional caramel, and the sinfully delicious eggnog pastry cream makes it especially special for the holidays.
Also, The Cookie Bible. Yum.
(This stunning photo was taken by Casey Horner)