Let That $#!% Go!

Did you make New Year’s resolutions this year? Yeah, me neither. Because at some point in life, you realize the flipping of that calendar isn’t really going to change anything you didn’t change earlier in the year. According to U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New Year’s resolutions is about 80% with most people losing their resolve by the middle of February. Ugh, we’ve all been there. That said, it doesn’t mean we have to just scooch into the new year with our old self. That’s as alluring as eating leftovers that sat out on the counter all night.

So this year, we did something for New Year’s that I hope will become a tradition. After pondering the lukewarm options for how to celebrate 12/31/22 becoming 1/1/23, such as staying out late and socializing, eating or drinking too much, or watching a movie and going to bed with FOMO, my husband and I decided on a whim the morning of 12/31 to “drop inward” and determine how we’d most like to spend this transitional evening and set our “vibe” for 2023. We decided we wanted this to be a year of intention, meaning, and connection, and most importantly, resolution to let go of what is no longer serving us. Properly.

So we texted about 75 friends within a local radius to invite them to drop by any time between 6pm and 12am to write on a slip of paper anything they wanted to let go of in 2023 and burn it in our fireplace. They were invited to stay for a cup of tea and a hug, or be on their merry way to whatever plans they already had.

We had no idea what to expect. We didn’t know if we’d have zero takers or 45. We didn’t buy extra food. We lit the fire, dimmed the lights, lit some candles, and sat down to read, journal, meditate and allow to happen what would happen.

The spoiler here is that people really want to let go of their $#!&. Numerous friends were away or being COVID-safe at home but vowed to write down their stuff and burn it alone or with family. One friend was on the road and said he’d be stopping with his wife to write and toss their “stuff” into the trash can at a rest stop. Throughout the evening we had a couple dozen people brave the pouring rain to pop in, talk about their stuff, write it down and burn it. We were privileged to witness the incinerations accompanied by deep sighs, relaxing shoulders, tears, joy, and hugs of gratitude. We burned our own stuff. Some people came with pages of journal entries or letters to toss and burn. We all lost 5 metaphorical pounds. And the collateral bonus was that we manifested a last-minute NYE “party” without the typical trappings.

As with resolutions, letting stuff go does not have to be reserved for the flipping of the calendar. I tell my clients that our work together isn’t designed to “add” anything, but rather recognizes their innate wholeness and works to remove the barriers that are no longer serving. When you think about it, burning the ick seems a whole lot easier than making another set of resolutions that will fizzle by February.

So what do YOU want to let go of this year? What do you want to burn? I invite you to join our virtual party and write your $#!& down and burn it! Send me a note or take a picture of your solo pyro ceremony. See below for a picture of our fireplace and ashes the next morning. Buh-bye stuff!