Today I was just so happy, as I am every 12 months, that we decided to invent years. Because at this time on the calendar you can hug all your friends all the time and give them lots of presents and say how much you’ve missed ones that have come back from where ever they have been. And no one thinks you are too much of this and too much of that, or in the least bit too affectionate or too emotional. Because it is the right and appropriate time of year for that. You can sleep quite a bit and throw away all your old earrings and resolve to only wear amazing earrings from now on. You could maybe cut yourself an awesome holiday fringe if you want, or cut your friend’s fringe if they also want a new look.
You can go to the beach every day. You can send people you love lots of messages and you have time to put any horrible witches or bullies or wolves that might have been bothering you straight into a hot air balloon. And then you can send them off and watch them floating into the burning sun or falling into the deep ocean. (This is easier if you are in Durban at this time of year). The same can be done to any mistakes you’ve made, if you’ve really tried your very best to fix them.
You can watch Lord of the Rings for a whole nine hours in a row if you like and think of Gandalf saying You Shall Not Pass to the Balrog demon and then Run Fools and about how you could use that in real life. You can resolve to meet your deadlines and become a very good photographer by going on a course. If you are really very lucky, you could be about to become an aunt in the very next year; or perhaps even someone’s fairy godmother.
Also, one of the best things to do is to read lots of cookery books, and decide to be healthier and better in the kitchen, every day. Which is what inspired this burst of joyful resolution in the first place. I recommend of course MFK FIsher How to Cook a Wolf, even though it is not 1942 anymore, nor war time (strictly speaking) and even though I know everyone already is. Particularly: How Not to Boil an Egg, How to Rise Up like New Bread, How to Make a Pigeon Cry and How to Pray for Peace. The Measure of My Powers, and quite obviously The First Oyster. Or you could read How to Cook Like a Man, by Daniel Duane, although I confess I did not. I just took a picture of the cover. And also thanks everyone for liking my page. Happy new year. Again.