I heard on NPR this morning that in certain cultures, there is a belief that whatever you do on New Year's day, you will do for the rest of the year as well. Evidently, being forearmed with this information, the Japanese put a great deal of thought into how, and how not, to spend their day.
It got me thinking. It also made me I wish that I'd had more time to plan my day, and hence, my year. I decided that I would follow most of their guidelines. No bill paying obviously, as you don't want to be anteing up for the rest of the year. That was easy, I can always put off paying bills, and who does that on New Years day anyway? Dress well. I changed my jeans. I even put on make up. No cooking they said. Not unless you want to cook all year. I guess I do. As this indictment did not seem to bother me in the slightest, I decided to sentence myself to long year of plenty of it, and cooked away.
But cooking or not cooking, you, do of course, want to eat very well. Also healthfully. Here I was both prudent and extravagant. For breakfast, an apple- a perfect Fiji. Full of pectin. Followed by fresh goat yogurt with a small taste of honey. How healthy I will be in 2010. Full of pro-biotics and living enzymes. How thin also.
Lunch was a perfectly made miso soup, with white miso, this time, with thin slivers of green onion. Dessert, two perfect large Black cherries in a perfect dark chocolate coat. Loaded with anti-oxidants, anti-inflamitories, and uric acid busting powers. Two only. The perfect restrained amount, can't hurt anything.
But then, just to insure a happy year and to amp up on the resveratrol, I opened and drank a bottle of Margaux, a 2003 Chauteau Desmerail. Sorry Mike and Cathy, I couldn't wait, as I had to insure that I would drink plenty of good wine this year. I'm sure you understand.
I was amused by the odd feeling that I had somehow secured this feast for myself for the rest of the year. Irrational, yes, but doggedly comforting.
Now what?...I think that the wine was talking.
What should I create for the rest of my year? Exercise and adventure, of course. I got those nailed down in one impetuous activity. I rushed over to Cabrillo beach. I parked above and hiked down to meet my fellow San Pedrans thronging towards the waves, for their annual Polar Bear swim. Although, until recently, I'd lived here in San Pedro for 23 years, and had attended a few of these New Year's days festivities, I'd never felt compelled to join in the freezing frolicking fun. Hundred's of people were now paused at the shore. Happily, I knew about half of them; such are the joys of small town living. The day was practically balmy, the water a cold 58 degrees and the comradely delirium of the crowd contagious. In I went with my fellow Polar Bears! I have the photos and a certificate to prove it.
Later that day I suffered a mysterious stomach ache that sent me to bed for five hours. I'm thinking that the cosmic police didn't notice this little part of my New Year's day, as I did spend the whole time most conspicuously writing.
What a wonderful year this should be.
