Mabh Savage

We sit in the living room and listen to the wind and rain, each drop a fat slap on the box window, like being in a large tent or some sort of shopping container — slap, slap, slap while the trees bend impossibly far.

Though the Solstice has passed and the days are lengthening night still looms, evening drawing painfully close even at three thirty in the afternoon, the gloom thickened by the weather.

We talked, just recently, about New Year Traditions; first footing, the dark-haired caller across the threshold bringing wealth, sustenance, and luck. Part of this was that something had to come in the front door and exit through the back, whether that was a guest or the wind — blowing through the house, blowing out the old year and calling in the new.

With this gale, it’s like the year is blowing itself out. Looking at the months gone by and saying, enough, enough, enough. Nothing is permanent. Everything is movable, changeable, transformative — with a big enough push.

I listen to the wind, and even though there is aggravation — yeah, it set my car alarm off a few times today, it was that rough — I feel hope. There’s always a chance for change, especially when there’s enough force in the right direction.

Wishing you the change you need in your life in 2025.