Happy new year, dear friends! Today I am re-posting an updated version of a Honeybee classic – the new year’s flip. Wishing you all a joyful, thriving year to come.

Like many people, my new year reflections used to be full of “should’ves”. I would reflect on prior resolutions, and end up focusing solely on the things left over – work un-done, trips un-taken, fitness goals un-attained.

Then, a few years ago, I tried flipping this process around. I spent an hour reviewing my calendar from the past twelve months, noting all of the things I was glad to have done. Some entries – family reunions, long-anticipated vacations, big professional events – naturally were already top of mind. But what surprised me were the smaller moments that jumped out – afternoon tea with a long-lost friend, a great movie during a rained-out holiday, a blank space on the calendar that was actually filled with a blissful autumn hike. Even more surprising were the vital elements of the year that did not really meet the definition of “highlights” – challenges that were unplanned and often unwelcome, the ones that required hard work, or deep reflection, or active presence.

After reviewing all of these aspects, the list of un-dones that used to loom so large naturally shrank into its proper proportion. And when I turned to the fresh new calendar for the coming year, instead of stuffing every single day to the brim with pre-commitments, I intentionally tried to leave a bit more space for that tea, or movie, or hike, or time with a thorny problem and my own thoughts and feelings 

Dear friends, I wish you a spacious year, with room for all the fullness of life.

And now we welcome the new year,

full of things that have never been.
— RM Rilke