[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Orema

Cleaning/Fixing: My mother and aunties would clean the house from top to bottom for the new year. They'd clean baseboards, tops of doors, the works. I don't do that. But apart from my normal chores this year, I got a window washer to clean the windows.

Purging: I'm pretty good at purging, but have decided to make a point of also doing it for the new year. So this week I gave away some paper books, plants, pots for plants. Had someone take some broken appliances and a broken exercise bike to the dump.

Food: For dinner I'll eat black-eyed peas and collard greens for good luck and prosperity in this new year.

My plans as of now are to do all of this. I'll pick up greens, peas and some ham product. I may even try to find some decent cornbread. I have a lot of purging to do and cleaning is a natural side effect of purging so there you go.

I don't expect to redesign my life in 1.5 days (the amount of time I get off for the holiday) but I expect to see a difference and that's my main goal for this year: to see a difference in all that I do.

Go to the gym, see a result.
Purge more, see more floor and feel lighter inside.
Clean more, see less cat hair and breathe better.
Get out and do something different once or twice a month, see what happens.

Originally Posted by Gemme

It worked! It worked!

I found a $20 at the gym.

Baby steps...

I forgot about this! It's so nice when instant gratification of one form or another kicks in.

Originally Posted by candy_coated_bitch

My tradition is usually to spend NYE by myself. I journal, do tarot readings, burn incense and candles, eat some favorite foods, watch movies and just reflect and "be" alone. This year I broke the tradition and spent it with my roommate. I plan on getting my groove on in a bit, though.

I spend far too much time alone, so one of my resolutions is to get out more and to try more new to me things this year. I do absolutely love your journaling and watching comfort movies ideas, though.

I think I'll watch my favorite, Auntie Mame, again. So many life lessons that I need to reintroduce into my life.

Originally Posted by Gemme

Like Orema, I have to have the greens and black eyed peas but in the South we eat ham with it too. I was always told the greens represented dollars and the peas coins. If I had cornbread, that would represent gold, but it's hard to find good cornbread up here and I'm not really into making it so no gold for me this year. Not sure what the ham represents but it just goes so well with the others, it doesn't matter to me. All I know is that eating chicken or lobster on New Years Day is a no no. As an Italian, I also eat lentils. I had them all for brunch and it was delicious!

Since I wrote this, I learned that I'm more Irish than Italian....thanks to DNA testing....so maybe I'll have potatoes with the greens and lentils this year.

I need all the help I can get.