I have been under the control of a crazy, self-imposed, superstition that goes something like this: The way that you go into the New Year is how the year will be for the rest of it. It has lead to me frantically cleaning my house and doing what I can to keep the family together and happy at that moment of transition.
This year was different and I am not exactly sure why. Perhaps the recent funeral, the constant influx of company, or simply the challenges of my New Years Eve day prompted the change. I was too tired to care that the Christmas Tree was still up, the kitchen counter was cluttered beyond the norm, and the house was basically “dirty.”
Tom had company over when I got home from my run. The flat tire having delayed my return home by an hour. I couldn’t very well start vacuuming around him. I also was informed of the news that BoBo would be having two of his friends spend the night. *sigh* We would be together, but it wasn’t exactly my picture of a quiet transition.
While Tom collected two pizzas and junk food galore, BoBo and his amigos managed to start the ball rolling on a coed hangout. His communication of these plans occurred a little too late. The girls where already curbside when BoBo finally came down to ask for permission to have additional company over. *sigh* The boy has a lot to learn about communication. He should know that “maybe” to a teenage girl means “yes.”
Needless to say, the parents were not happy with the progression of the plan before the permission was granted. Tom’s mood was not “happy” as we headed into the New Year. The girls didn’t bat an eye at the change, they made their way over to another boy’s home. When they found BoBo’s phone was turned off, they had the boy call our landline to ask for him. I caught on right away and nixed further communication saying, “Tell T that BoBo is in trouble. He’ll talk to you next year.”
In the meantime, I hoped and prayed that my superstition was indeed false. I tucked YaYa into bed shortly after 11 pm, and crawled into my own bed not long after that. Tom was already asleep next to me, and the three amigos were camping out in sleeping bags in the garage.
As I listened to the fireworks sounding in the distance, I whispered “Happy New Year” and hoped that it would be.
It was still dark outside when I first awoke at 6:30 am. I had thought that I might run before everyone got up, but I was still very tired. I wondered when I would be able to tell that the days were actually getting longer. I fell back to sleep.
Around 8 am, YaYa came in and woke me up. We crept downstairs for cartoons and coffee. I curled up in a chair by the window and read a good book as the day began to unfold. The sun shone through the window as a hummingbird sipped necter from the flowers just outside. As I enjoyed the peaceful morning, I noted that the family was all together (plus the two friends) and it was going to be beautiful day after all.