A Friday Chat About the Way You Spend New Year’s

Photo credit: Olivia Notter, CC BY 2.0.

NICOLE: Happy Friday!

BETH: Happy Friday and one day after Winter Solstice!

NICOLE: I can feel the days getting longer already!

BETH: IKR?!

NICOLE: I usually ask if people have any plans for the weekend, but this is a very big weekend for a lot of people, so… have any plans?

BETH: Um, yeah. Do you really want to know what mine are?

NICOLE: If you’d like to share them!

BETH: I’m going to Yogaville tomorrow through Christmas mid-day. That’s an ashram about 2 hours from me. I don’t celebrate Christmas as an “outer” holiday, it’s more “inward” for me. But it is funny to go to an ashram for Christmas!

NICOLE: I’m planning to go to a Zen center on New Year’s Day! I am very much looking forward to some quiet.

BETH: Oh, this is great. I feel very comfortable now. Which Zen center?

NICOLE: The one in Cedar Rapids. I’ve never been there. I’ve never been to any Zen center, but I’ve had a yoga practice forever so I am acquainted with the concept of meditation. They’re doing a “welcome the New Year” zazen and open house on Jan 1, so I figured it would be a good time to visit.

BETH: Brilliant. Have a lovely time!

NICOLE: I can’t quite remember if the saying is “the way you spend NYE is the way you’ll spend the rest of the year” or “the way you spend New Year’s Day is the way you’ll spend the rest of the year” but either way it sounds like a good choice.

BETH: OMG, I’ve never met anyone else who knew that! I go by that. I always try to do something I totally want to do the rest of the year on NYE.

NICOLE: Me too! This year I’m focusing on meeting new people since I am new in town. Last year I spent some time with close friends.

BETH: And you’re focusing on quiet. On centering.

NICOLE: Yes. NYE for going to the party and meeting new people and NYD for quiet and centering.

BETH: Oh, right, there is a difference. I forget! I’m leading a workshop on money in fact on NYD in Portland, Maine, and I hope dancing on NYE!

NICOLE: OOOOOH TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE MONEY WORKSHOP! Do you have a link you can share?

BETH: I wish you could come! Okay, sure, here’s a link, and here’s the event on Facebook. I’m giving it with Andrea Wenger, who’s a sound healer & Reiki master who lives in Maine. She’s a long-time friend and soul-colleague from Baltimore who moved there recently. It’s all about “flow,” even though we try not to abuse that overused word!

NICOLE: I like flow! Though you are right, it can be overused.

BETH: Flow is vital. I just gave away coaching time to any of my blog readers who wanted help giving away money. Giving away money is crucial to decent flow. I loved the resonance of donating time to help people donate! It just came to me spontaneously and felt very right.

We are going to help people change their money and abundance and other-resources “story” by rewriting it. We’re asking folks think of money as a river and noting that rivers have things in them like rocks, and trees, and what have you. Do you focus on the river? Or the rocks? That’s the starting point of the workshop.

The river metaphor was something I developed in a fundraising article I can also share with your readers. I wanted to mention that. (I own the rights to it.)

I should let you get a word in edgewise!

NICOLE: No, this is all very interesting! I love to learn about how people approach money.

BETH: I know! I do too! I think there are zillions of great ways to think about money!

NICOLE: With that in mind, last question before we close out our Friday: do you have any advice for Billfold readers?

BETH: Be strong at the holidays! Follow your bliss not your billfold!

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