Warning: Mushy Reflections Below
- Prof C
- Dec 31, 2023
- 4 min read
Well, it's New Year's Eve, the final culmination of the year that has been. This morning over coffee, Philip and I reflected on 2023, as we usually do, and looked back on the last 365 days that led to here. Most of 2023 was a "normal" year, although the restless underpinnings had reached an all-time high. Of course, if you had asked me last January if we would be in rural Alaska, teaching during Jadyn's senior year, I would have looked at you like you were an alien from another planet. Life is funny, isn't it?
But, today is the eve before Jadyn's birthday. That's really what New Year's Eve has become known as in our family. I've never been big on New Year's resolutions, and all the other hype that comes with the ending of a calendar year, because to me, December 31st and January 1st are just days, days like any other. If you want to make a change, you can do that at any moment in your life. But with a New Year's baby, we gained a much more exciting reason to make a big deal of the holiday. And Jadyn had determined early in her youth that the world was really celebrating her with fireworks and the clinking of glasses, of which we are happy to oblige. But this eve is different for us. Tomorrow, our firstborn officially becomes an adult. 18 years old. Where, oh where, did the years go? Everyone who has walked the path of parenting tells you the time flies, and to cherish it while you can before it's gone. There is a litany of literature that warns you of this phenomenon. None of that prepares you for your own flash of time. All the usual questions are prevailing today: did we do enough? Did we raise her well enough to stand on her own two feet? Did we allow her to develop during her formative years, without scarring her too badly? What is to come in her next chapter, and in ours? I am simultaneously incredibly sad, nervous, and excited for this next phase, and I know at some point today, tomorrow, or most likely both, my eyes will be leaking, despite my best efforts not to let them.
For New Year's out here, we've been told that this holiday is a really big deal for the tribe, more so than any other. The whole village walks around town, collecting food for the village feast of the New Year. This is accomplished by throwing out any food you want to contribute into a large tarp, carried by the villagers, as they come by. We've also been told that the village sings to those who have a birthday on the big day. So Jadyn will be able to say she's been serenaded by a Native village for her birthday, a pretty cool experience, I think. It will be nice to immerse ourselves in the local celebration, even though that still won't quite offset the notable absence of the family who has been present since Jadyn's birth. Thanks to Google and Facebook, I have been exposed to all the New Year's toasts and birthday celebrations of the last 18 years today, which of course, doesn't help my efforts to stop the tears.
And this Google gem: Celebrating Jadyn's birthday with family
I must say, I love the person Jadyn has grown to be, and I can't wait to see what she does moving forward in her independence. We've told our kids from the beginning that we don't care what they do, as long as they do something that's important to them, and that they keep moving forward with their eyes open. Jadyn told me, back when we first decided to move to Alaska, that she was actually glad for the timing. She said seeing Philip and I take this bold plunge into the unknown, and her following suit, made the next step away from our family a little easier to conceptualize. And to this point, she has applied to the University of Vermont. When Philip and I voiced our surprise at her picking a college in a different state from either us, or family back in Texas, she told us that since no matter where she goes, it's going to be a plane ride away from us, she might as well go somewhere that is really interesting to her, without the fear of staying close to home. I'm really proud of her, for choosing a future that is different from either of her parents. She's not going to our alma maters, and she's not studying our areas of expertise. She is daring to imagine something different for herself. Hopefully, that means we did something right, as her temporary stewards, over the last couple of decades.
Christmas was warm for us, despite the negative temps outside that brought the coldest day for us here, so far. We were able to FaceTime with family for the traditional opening of gifts, and we lazily lounged around, just enjoying our time together. Since about half of the kids' gifts came in, we told the kids this year would be more of a rolling Christmas, as things eventually come in. I actually think they prefer that, rather than it all being done in one day. The theme for this year's gifts was far more practical, with each receiving gifts unique to their skill sets or personalities. Jadyn got a really nice knife, Ems a throwing axe and trapping gear, Josh got fishing gear, and Avery got sewing kits for clothing and for leather. There were a few other fun things thrown in, with a few more on the way. As far as our Christmas Day, I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.
Happy New Year's everyone!
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