A new year.  Hmm.

I mean, it’s really just the next day, right? A continuation of the life we have created for ourselves. So why does New Year’s Eve feel so momentous? Then again, we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, so why wouldn’t we make a huge deal about New Years?

Here’s the thing. On birthdays, we celebrate the life of a person, and their growth so far. Anniversaries are celebrated to acknowledge a relationship and how far it’s come. New Year’s… well, it always feels like everyone is saying goodbye to the past. I read a lot of messages about how the next year will be better, or “goodbye 2018”. But really, isn’t  New Year’s just an anniversary celebration of our time as humans on earth? A simple measure of time just like birthdays and anniversaries? And if that is what it is, then shouldn’t we be celebrating all that we’ve accomplished so far?

Of course looking ahead to see what might come next, making plans, setting goals, well, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s always good to do that. But may I suggest that instead of looking back and thinking about what you didn’t accomplish, or what didn’t happen, you look at how much progress you have made.  As a parent. As a friend. As a teacher. As a human.

Dare I say that life NEVER moves as fast as we want. Not when renovations are getting done, not when you are waiting for a call back from something important. Everything moves slower than we want it to. Why would our lives in general be any different?

Take a look at what great things happened this year. The little things that might not have seemed so significant at the time, but as you look back realize they were.

Here at Grow and Sing Studios, we educate parents and young children. We celebrate each new milestone as if it were the biggest thing ever to happen. Am I right? Why does that stop as we get older? Our time here on earth is a journey. It’s a journey from the time we are born. Each year, full of learning, growth, mistakes, mishaps, misunderstandings and good times. Each year, things get perhaps, a bit more complicated because we have more life information gathered inside our brains.

I took this photograph this year in Ireland. It was a trip I wanted to take my entire life. Traveling abroad was my dream. Just like life tends to be, it took a long time to happen for me. But it DID happen. As I searched each stone on this beach on the Ring of Kerry in County Kerry, Ireland, taking notice of color, texture, shape and size I realized I was honoring each small step that finally got me to this destination. I carefully piled the stones up while breathing in the cool crisp air, noticing the blue sky and smiling at my wonderful husband patiently waiting for me so we could move on to our next stop on the ring of Kerry. I took time here, with these stones, to honor and celebrate each and every challenge and triumph that got me there.

I will do that again, here on this New Year’s Eve.

I hope this message finds you invigorated and reflective. You are awesome!
Happy New Year friends.

All the very best,

Holly Lesnick is a Licensed Kindermusik Educator and Studio owner at Grow and Sing Studios, a Bachelor of Music Therapy, mom of 2 and this past September celebrated 20 years of marriage with her husband Will.  Kindermusik International Brand Ambassador, and always happy to collaborate with brands she believes in.

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