Last Sunday was the first in a long while without a Sunday Best, due to an unexpected snow squall that left me stranded. I was heading home in a tiny rental car, no snow tires and no 4-wheel drive, and even before I got to the edge of town the wheels were spinning and I was sliding across the road with that queasy feeling of hey-that’s-the-wrong-direction.

As any good New Englander knows, when you start to skid, you have to ease up, lifting off the pedals and giving in to the direction of the skid before gently steering away. You will also know that this takes a lot of practice, because when we start to skid the natural impulse is to press harder, to slam the brakes or accelerator and steer sharply away.

Of course, even if you follow your drivers ed training perfectly, sometimes you end up spun right ’round, facing ongoing traffic with nothing but the goodwill and skill of others to save you.

Dear Honeybees, as we slide into the new year, I hope the weather is fine, the traction is great, and the obstacles are nonexistent. But if we find ourselves skidding, I wish for the ability to ease up, just for a moment, instead of always pushing harder. And if all else fails, I wish for generous and kind drivers alongside us, who will gently swerve to give us space, and maybe even stop to help us on our way.

Dear friends, I’m sending you best wishes for a courageous, joyful, and graceful new year.

One of our most popular pieces ever is the New Year’s Flip, which talks about my year-end reflection practice. You can read about it here.