Out With the Old, in With the New

Here we are, rounding the corner into 2023! With each passing year, I actually struggle with the start of a new year. My struggle isn’t because I’m a negative person, or with the actual passing of time; it’s actually because of how quickly the passing of time happens.

One of my gifts is being able to (mostly) live in the present. I feel I do a good job of living in the moment, and appreciating events currently happening, no matter how big or small. So when we’re embarking upon a new year, I simply feel the reminder of time passed heavier than normal. Like all of those moments I so deeply and purposely felt are that much further away from when they happened. It’s possible I may fear I’ll forget them altogether.

New, New, New!

As a society, I believe we have big feelings on the start of a new chapter: a new year, new job, new baby, new house, new zip code, etc. We, and I very much include myself within this “we”, have a tendency to become so focused on the new, that we can easily associate it as better. Which yes, sometimes new is better. Change is unavoidable, and so therefore the new that accompanies change is sometimes better for everything and everyone. But the old can be exceedingly worth equal value, if not more than the new at times.

I am here to oppose this notion that new is always better. Especially around this time of year marked with new items in the form of presents and the new year’s opportunities, we can become blind to the sacredness and goodness of the old. If we’re not careful, we can succumb to our realities being filled with new everything, all the time. New clothes, cars, looks, bodies, places to go, people to see. It’s easy to be bombarded with “new” everywhere, like from social media to billboard advertising.

Out with the old, in with the new?

One of the phrases I myself commonly use, “out with the old, in with the new”, depicts simplicity and depth all at once. Like previously mentioned, I know and appreciate the natural order of change, so I believe this phrase to coincide with that concept. But I also feel we can use it to justify unnecessary spending or unhealthy habits.

At a time in my life where I’m beginning to reflect more, I am finding some truth and ground in the beauty of the old. When I speak of “the old”, I am referencing an abundance of things. The elderly, the vintage, the tried and true classics. I am also referencing nature, concepts like art, and even principles like The Golden Rule. By their longtime existence, they are old. Yet, their defining characteristics can be interchangeably new.

Of all the things of “old”, I truly love, is nature. Nature somehow coexists with predictability and chaos. With dependency and disappointment. With beauty and violence. I am consistently in awe of the power of nature. A sunrise or sunset frequently stops me in my busyness. The sound of rain will never cease to soothe. Spring in its newness and majesty always revives my winter-tortured self. Granted, fall is my favorite as its respite from the heat and lovely colors bring me so much joy.

Seasons

How the seasons change is something I look forward to. It reminds me that God is in control, and I am not. That reminder comforts me when the hardness of life leaves me beyond weary. Weary times like experiences from this past year when my friend’s husband died suddenly in his sleep, and how my friend’s newborn daughter died unexpectedly. These are hard times that shape a person and family for better and worse. Amidst these hard times, nature finds its way into my soul. It helps to alleviate the tragedies and even daily living that can prove to be plain hard.

In a similar pattern to nature, the seasons of life change. They ebb and flow through highs and lows. With the coming of a new year, maybe you are looking forward to a fresh start because of some really low lows during this year. Perhaps you experienced amazing high points, and are hopeful for those to continue. Whichever the case, I believe both are on their way this coming year. As cliche as it sounds, we cannot fully experience and embrace the high points without learning from the low times. The highs seem sweeter because of the lows.

As each season of life passes, we’re reminded of how precious and fragile life is. Each birthday seems to point out how we should feel or be in reference to the age we are becoming. And before we know it, if we’re blessed to have made it there, we arrive at a ripe age where we look back with joy, sorrow, longing and laughter.

Why can’t we start looking at life from that perspective now? Is it simply challenging because it isn’t easy to live in the present? Or possibly, because we’re all caught up in the fullness of our routines and the never ending to-dos. I find myself rushing into the next season with gratitude, but also with expectation and impatience. As if the passing season deserves less than what the upcoming season can provide.

My hope for all of us, as we near the end of this year, is to not only reflect upon it, but rejoice in the year to come because of what took place. To rejoice knowing that lows WILL happen with the highs. To embrace each season as not only a fresh start, but a new opportunity to experience life in full, to heartily grasp each day with passion, as if its a new gift we just received for Christmas. Let us see each day as a priceless gift for what it is: a treasure all its own.

Finally

Thinking of old things versus new, I am sometimes quick to dismiss the old and give the new an over-the-top hype. However, I desire to balance appreciation for the old and joyful expectation for the new. I want to do this fully knowing the new will soon be the old too.

So, how can we wholly live with one foot in the old, and one foot in the new? Daily practice, my friends. Waking up and being thankful for the ability to wake up. Going to bed at night, blissfully exhausted being thankful, even when we don’t feel like it. Not feeling like it will happen often, probably more than you will actually feel like being thankful. It’s okay to not feel it. But the magic happens in being thankful even when you don’t feel it. In this way, I believe relishing the past, savoring the future and boldly being present can coexist delightfully.

Happy (almost) new year! I firmly believe we can all begin another year with full hearts and minds. I also believe we can live on purpose. Even if the world is telling us new us better, we know better, and can live better for it. Cheers to 2023, my dear people!