5:32 p.m. - 2004-01-02
New Year's Sweep
Bruce and I did our annual New Year's Eve ritual last night. Appropriately enough, since it was New Year's Eve. Heh heh.
We have done this ritual every year for...years. For so long I can't remember. For so long it has become a part of my yearly cycle of being alive, one of the things I know I'll be still be doing when I become a little old lady, and I have to beg the nice nursing home people to let me have my yearly rituals.
It's a simple ritual. At about eight pm I light some brown or black votive candles and let them burn themselves out. Burning out all the yucky crap and garbage from the old year.
At about five minutes till midnight I light some incense, and Bruce and I go tearing throught the house, waving incense and ordering the old year to get out. I'm sorry to say we terrorise the cats in the process, but it can't be helped! The old year must go!!
Then, just at midnight, we go outside the house with a broom and do what we call "The Sweep". Prior to midnight we leave a small bag just outside the front door. In the bag are items which represent what we want to come into our lives or stay in our lives during the coming year. Things like coins, art supplies, a commission check stub, beads which represent friends and the animals.
And just at midnight, we sweep the bag into the house. Usually we throw some confetti around, too, but last night I forgot to put it out. And we drink some Glenfiddich. Glenfiddich - the perfect ending to any ritual!
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Went to see Return of the King on New Year's Eve as well. I realised I actually had been dreading seeing this movie. I felt the same way about it that I felt about the book.
I've read the first two books of the LOTR trilogy about twenty times. No kidding. The last book? Maybe twice.
I find it harrowing. The whole last book is one long, distressing, lack of any hope story to me, and I actually find it bizarre that everything comes out ok in the end.
The movie lived up to my expectations, too. It was just as harrowing as the book. I spent most of the however many hours sort of curled in my seat, taking deep breaths.
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