Hannah M. Clipston

5 minutes to, 5 minutes past

It’s 5 minutes to midnight. Today I spent the day with myself, wearing a smile on my face as I reminisced the last few nights I’ve spent with family and friends. After a busy Christmas it is good to have some time with only me, going about my everyday tasks as though nothing is extraordinary. Now for the final 5 minutes of 2023 and the first 5 minutes of 2024 I am doing what I love the most: writing. This year has not been the easiest. It was full of unpredicted lows and yet somehow, also the best of times. It’s both dragged and flown by. Thinking back to last year, this New Year’s Eve is so different. Last year, I was incredibly unsure of where I was going and had a lack of trust in myself

HAPPY NEW YEAR

and the year has begun with a bang of multicoloured sky. Where was I? This time last year I had a lack of trust in myself that caused me to feel very lost. So, I’m taking great comfort in being on my own this New Year’s Day. I am happy I can sit with myself and feel safe. Last year I wished to trust myself more and, though I had not expected the challenges or emotional turmoil that would lead me here, in a way my wish came true. Instead of thinking of what I’ve lost this year, I find myself thinking of everything I still have. My wonderful family and friends, and the freedom to write. As far as resolutions go, for me this will be a year of writing. I am feeling inspired. 

It’s 5 minutes past midnight. If I can continue briefly with a thought I’ve carried with me, that may be of use to someone else too, it’s that I believe the worst thing that could ever happen to me would be to lose faith. If I can always hold my faith that we will one day understand the bad things that happen to us, and that any minute something wonderful may happen, I think there is always a reason to keep going.