A New Year's Eve Wish <3
Preparing for the Year Ahead
Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone! I hope you are feeling good today, relaxed and at peace, satisfied with 2024 coming to a close, and ready to move boldly into 2025. I hope you had a nice holiday season, too. <3 We had a quiet Christmas and a nice birthday celebration for my mom. And now, it’s time to prepare ourselves for the new year.
In my last post, I suggested reviewing the year we’ve just completed, acknowledging our accomplishments and experiences, where we’ve succeeded, what we’ve learned, how we’ve grown. Some of those examples might be unexpected as we reframe stories in a way that honors our actions, recognizing how we did the best we could, that in fact some of our failures or regrets are actually some of our greatest success stories.
In December 2022, I ended the last 12 days of the year by reflecting on each month, one day at a time. I looked through photos and the calendar, remembered what occurred, how I was feeling at the time. I listed my memories and wrote what I had learned from each experience, grouping my reflections into themes. I remember this exercise helped me feel grounded and clear minded as the year came to a final end, and as I read my writing from each of those months now, I find that each theme is an important life reminder that helps me even now.
If you like, we can do the same today. We can look at each month from our 2024, look through our photos, our posts, our calendars, remembering stand-out moments, difficult times, celebratory days, successes, accomplishments, and all the ways we survived and did our best.
After reflecting on 2024, we can make nice wishes for 2025 - a small list of the things we are hoping for and wanting, and manifest them in present tense. For example, instead of writing ‘I will write a book,’ we can imagine the book already completed, and write ‘I have written a book.’ Look at the difference:
‘I will write a book.’
‘I have written a book.’
Both feel good to read, though somehow it feels better to read that our mission and goal has been satisfied. When our brain reads something in the present tense, it feels that the process has already started, not that it could be started later. It put our process in the NOW, instead of leaving it again and again for a hypothetical tomorrow.
We can think of some simple broad goals that first come to mind from these three categories and write them for ourselves in present, positive, and personal tense:
Health and Wellness
Love and Relationships
Career and Quality of Life
On New Year’s Eve 2018, I wrote my goals down on a small piece of paper and brought it to the New York Harbor. When it turned to midnight, I cast them into the water and watched them float away as I listened to the sounds of celebration all around me. It was a simple and bold moment that made me feel calm, clear, grounded, and powerful. If you like, you can do something similar. Do you have any ritual like this you like to do?
We can also get deeper into our goals as we move into the new year. We can make action plans and timelines to follow. All of that starts with some important reflection, so we can do that, as well. But maybe not today. :) Let’s be easy and kind to ourselves and save that for later in the week. <3
On New Year’s Eve 2019, I shared my first single recording, a song of reflection from a completed decade, moving into a new year with concern and hope. Each year, the lyrics seem to be more applicable, and this year is no exception. We have an intense year ahead, and a lot to prepare for.
My greatest wish today, is that we can access our boldness and our confidence in ourselves, to arm ourselves with the tools we each need to walk strongly into this new year. I wish us all unwavering confidence in ourselves and belief in our abilities, to become who we are truly meant to be and do the things we are meant to do.
Below is the song, along with two alternate recordings. One is live from a concert in 2022, and one is from last November, practicing with Becky and Nikolai to perform at Joe’s Pub. If you like, you can listen along with reading the lyrics below. Thank you for your support and encouragement, for your kindness and warmth.
Legacies
From underneath the surface of the sea, what do you see?
From underneath the surface of the sea, what do you see?
From underneath the surface of the sea, what do you see?
From underneath the surface of the sea, what do you see?
I see a hand pressed to glass in the sky
but an ocean divides the stars from the night
is there a bridge, is there a boat, is there a wall, oh, I don’t know
how I wish you would turn and say goodnight
now it’s deep in the darkest hour of the loneliest century
had to tear ourselves away and fall into the sea
we can still hear the bodies shifting in the walls
as they breathe or sleep
but they wanted to paint a masterpiece
someday maybe soon
we will sleep again
but it’s hard to imagine now
did you notice how everything’s shifting when the eagle’s cracked?
when we close our eyes we can almost get that golden feeling back
to see our dreams alive as they were
to see an eagle fly across our hand
but then we open our eyes and the chilling storm
frightens our bones to their very core
and I find each day as we slip away more
that the world resembles a spider web
yes, a spider web is strong
surviving through the greatest storms
though it’s scary because
most of the things that it catches will die
someday maybe soon
we will sleep once more
though it’s hard to imagine now
From underneath the pile of rubble, what do you see?
From underneath the pile of rubble, what do you see?
From underneath the pile of rubble, what do you see?
From underneath the pile of rubble, what do you see?
I see a body twisting, trying to speak
and the dark cloud surrounding their lungs
carries them away to the sea
then a building of gold collapses from right underneath
with nothing to ground in catastrophe
now it’s deep in the final year of this old decade
had to build an armor of wings and try to fly away
one should have been more than enough
but now that so much has been lost
and now that we’ve all had our time in the sun
can we open our eyes to the chilling storm
that frightens our souls to their very core?
can we see each day as see slip away more
that this world will be resembling an old cobweb?
bodies blow away in the dust
memories with no place to exist
no one will remember us
cause legacies mean nothing to the birds in the sky.
climb up to the top of the trees and tell me, what do you see?
climb up to the top of the trees and tell me, what do you see?
climb up to the top of the trees and tell me, what do you see?
climb up to the top of the trees and tell me, what do you see?
Lyrics by Jesse Paris Smith
Released December 31, 2019
Music and Lyrics by Jesse Paris Smith
Vocals and Ukulele: Jesse Paris Smith
Synthesizer: Eric Hoegemeyer
Recorded at Electric Lady Studios
Mixed by Eric Hoegemeyer
Mastered by Jim Kissling
Cover art is ‘Ultima Thule’ by Michael Kerbow
Cover design by Michael Kerbow
Cover handwriting by Patti Smith
Live with Alana Amram in Concord, MA
Live Practice at Electric Lady Studios with Nikolai Fraiture and Rebecca Foon
Thank you truly for listening, for reading, for participating and engaging, for everything from the last year. Please share your thoughts, reflections, ideas, goals, and dreams in the comments. Wishes for yourself, your family and friends, for each other, for this community. We can help each other stay accountable, and we can help comfort each other when times are rough. It’s nice to know among everything else, that we are here. <3
Happy New Year, everyone.
All the best wishes always,
Jesse
Beautiful song. Love your gentle and compassionate approach.
Hi Jesse!
Thank you for all your positivity and your lovely song variations, got me all choked up there.
This time of year always gets me feeling a little funky, I will borrow from you some of your words of encouragement as we head into the new year.
Wishing you and Everyone here very Happy & Healthy New year! ;o)