It’s that changeover time of year. The bit where many of us wipe clean the slate and make a promise to self. Personally, I don’t do that but I’m happy if others do, it can be a great point of focus. For me, this is my time of year when I’m burned out and darkness can creep in, to my bones. January and February are battle months and so end-of-year promises are just extra weights slipped into pockets. So I won’t. That said, it’s been a long while since I’ve been consumed by depression, I’ve managed to skiff around it. It’s eyeballed me and I’ve stuck two fingers up whilst retreating with a jive. 

I’ll stay up to see out Auld Year’s Night and I’ll chink glasses at the bells. Us three girls will probably ask our young man to stand outside the door so he can enter as our first foot, carrying coal and shortbread. We’ll laugh, we’ll sit together, and I’ll probably answer my own conversation (did I say… teenagers… yep). 

I’ll be signing out of the news, staying out of the stories as they rage. For me, the news can only be dipped into if I’m to make it to Spring and I will need to choose the source with care. My volunteering won't stop, most of it has moved online with only one or two bumps and it helps me stay meaningful, which I find essential in health.

This is a long way of saying that, if you are somebody who benefits from the chime of the new year, then rip that calendar page, wipe that slate and sashay through, dancing with the new start! And if you’re not, it’s ok to adopt the new year in the Spring with daffodils or in the Summer with the academic timetable. You need take no pressure, it’s your choice when and where you draw a fresh start. 

Be safe and well my friends. 

Sending best from

The still fairy lit room above the garage. 

A Moodscope member.