Tending the Fire - Your New Year
Happy first Tending the Fire newsletter of the year, dearest reader!
I’ve been having conversations with friends and clients alike lately about the new year and what it means to us. For some, it feels exciting like a fresh start. For some, there's a sense of grief that comes with another year coming to a close. Others might see the year as an arbitrary, somewhat meaningless milestone. For many, like me, this time of the year is a cocktail of all of the above…
I get excited when planning for the year… it feels like the possibilities are endless! Each year, my hubby and I nerd out and make a list of goals for various areas of our lives. It’s basically an annual strategic plan where we create objectives and metrics of success for the big buckets in our lives like: Travel, Careers, Marriage & Family/Friends, Home/House, Health, Hobbies, and Finances. While we certainly can’t plan for everything, it’s helpful (and fun!) to create a roadmap for key areas of focus and goals that we can support each other in reaching.
Like the baton-handoff in a relay race, the new year is both a beginning and an end. Having been on the (in)fertility journey for several years, the new year can be challenging because we’re faced head-on with the reality that yet another year has come and gone without a child to share it with. I also find this time of year to be melancholic as it reminds me of the relentlessness of time– my parents are aging, my precious niece and nephew are growing up, Flora will never be this age again, and so it goes. If we’ve experienced loss, going into the new year without said loved ones earth-side can be especially hard to face.
All that being said, there’s a part of me that remembers that the transition from 11:59pm on December 31st to 12:00am on January 1st is actually just another day. Bringing forth this awareness can be helpful when the hype of the “new year, new you” bullshit gets me feeling anxious. Although this is technically the new year, we get to decide the timeframes that feel aligned with our internal landscapes. It’s a gentle reminder that change can be made at any time and our own seasons matter more than the calendar.
So Where Does That Leave Us?
Coming into January 2025, I’m feeling reflective (it is still winter, mind you). This is a time to take inventory and acknowledge all that is here– honoring the excitement and grief, and everything in between. For me this looks like planning without necessarily springing into action… after all, springing is for spring.
What about you, dearest reader? What are you feeling as we embark on this beginning and simultaneous end? Is there excitement? Grief? Other emotions altogether? Perhaps you take a moment to check in and acknowledge what’s here. What do you need? These questions and more are in the Invitation section below if you want to explore.
Handing you the baton,
Shannah 🤍
Nurtured Founder & Coach
Your turn! Let’s check in. The following questions are here as a way to tend your fire.
Remember, this doesn’t have to be a big time commitment to be helpful. If it feels good, put on a song, pick one question from the list, and noodle until the song ends.
Make a list: What am I feeling as we embark on this beginning and simultaneous end?
Are there any emotions that feel surprising? Any “should"s popping up?
How does/would it feel to accept & honor the emotions that are present during this transition time?
What’s something that I want to say “yes” to and what’s something that I want to say “no” to that will honor how I’m feeling?
ONE action I can and WILL take TODAY to nurture and honor myself is:
Big bravo for taking the time to explore, check in, and tend your own fire. 🔥 If you would like to have your responses witnessed, I would be delighted to receive them! Email me anytime at shannah@gonurtured.com.
Looking for an extra pair of hands to help you sort through your New Year reflections? Look no further! These feelings can be complicated and layered, and I would be honored to help you untangle them. Let's chat!