the space between here & there

Confession: I’ve always dreaded the days between Christmas and New Year's. To me, it feels like such a strange space to hang out in, an uncomfortable limbo where the exciting thing has already happened, and now we’re all just lying around, covered in candy wrappers, waiting for the next big thing. 

Maybe it’s because I’m the kind of girl who’s always thrived on New Year’s resolutions. Goals! Charts! Plans! I love it all. So those quiet days when the year is winding down and nothing’s really happening have always left me feeling restless. 

But this year I feel different. This year I see these slow days as a gift rather than something I just need to endure before I get to the shiny new version of me that will magically appear when the clock strikes midnight. 

Because the truth is we don’t become brand new people on January 1st despite our best intentions and crisp new planners full of goal trackers and motivational sayings. We’re still those same candy-wrapper-covered humans, slightly hungover from the magic of Christmas and all those days lazing around the house. We’re still messy and imperfect and deep in our winter seasons, so if you don’t instantly transform into the kind of person who unplugs, eats kale, and remembers to drink more water, well, then you’re in good company. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: Going slow is okay. And setting goals is okay, too. Just remember that you get to choose your pace, and each day is going to be different. We all get to experience the full variety that life has to offer—the fast and the slow, the magical and the monotonous.

Isn’t that a beautiful thing? 

But if you’re like me and you sometimes find it uncomfortable to sit in the stillness of waiting, if you find yourself anxious for the calendar to flip from 2023 to 2024, you might want to ask yourself why. What do you want to change? Why do you want to make that change? What is it that you’re trying to prove? Why do you want to move from here to there?

What do you want to feel? 

I don’t have the answers to those questions; that’s something we each have to figure out for ourselves. But I bet if you find a quiet moment this week to sit under the twinkling lights of your Christmas tree and say a little prayer, you’ll find the answers you need. You’ll find the direction and guidance you’re craving, and most importantly, the reminder to be still and know. 

Maybe you’ll realize that you can experience those feelings of peace, happiness, and accomplishment right now even in this strange space between here and there, that quiet time before you set your goals and try new things. Because this version of you matters just as much as next year’s version. And until we understand that we’ll just keep restlessly spinning in circles, always looking for the next new thing, never truly comprehending how absolutely incredible we are.

So here’s to slowing down and easing into the freshness of a new year even while leaving the Christmas decorations up a little longer. 

Here’s to relishing the in-between.