For me, it starts with two lists:
That which I wish to bring forth in the new year
That which I wish to leave behind in the old year.
And then comes the burning.
The second list goes in the tin bucket, and outside in the dark, I drop a match and watch the paper burn.
That which does not serve erupts into flame and is gone.
The trick is to keep that which does not serve gone in the new year. This is where the real work is. (Although you may always have the ashes and need to deal with them, as I talked about in the last paid subscriber newsletter.)
When to Do It
This has been my New Year’s Eve ritual for the last seven or eight years and I really look forward to it.
After the age of 21, it seems I lost my eagerness to go out and be foolish on New Year’s Eve. (Although I retained my eagerness to be foolish on most other nights of the year.) I like to stay home, do the lists, light the burn, and get to bed early so I can work out the next morning, unencumbered by the residue of alcohol and regret.
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