A new holiday: Lucky Day

That's what today (January 2) is here in Georgia: Lucky Day. It's nothing like St.-Patty's-Day-luck-O'-the-Irish. It's more a mixture of New Year's resolutions and Karma directly related to today's actions. Quite the combination, no?

I was in my room packing for my trip that begins tomorrow (Batumi, Istanbul, and maybe Athens), and Tea popped in to say that some of her relatives were at the house and wanted to meet me. I left the piles I had started making on the bed and walked with her into the house. It was no surprise that the table had been pulled out into the middle of the room (it's always pushed up against a wall when not in use) and piled high with food and drinks. I will never cease to be amazed at how quickly Georgians can lay out a fantastic spread! I think maybe every Georgian woman has a little of "Bewitched's" Samantha in her - with a wiggle of the nose, a feast appears. It's a real talent. Anyway, I sat at the table and shared a meal with them - a necessity in Georgian tradition. One of the guests (an aunt-in-law) is an English teacher, so we had a nice time talking together about school and Georgia and the New Year's customs. That's when I found out that today is Lucky Day.

It really should be called "You Get What You Give Day" - because that's what the belief is about January 2: on this day, whatever you do and however you act is the way your life will go in the coming year. So, if you fight and are mean, those actions will be a constant for the next 365 days. If you are good and kind, that's what you'll get. So luck really has nothing to do with it. (Tea leaned over and whispered this to me - she's not superstitious at all and thinks it's all baloney. I nodded in agreement.) I was told that Georgians try to be kind and good to each other on this day. I said that I try to be kind and good to others every day, and as I was saying the words in English, Koba was saying the same thing about me in Georgian! I'm not always kind nor good, but I do make an effort to be that way. And even though I don't believe in luck or think that what I did today will rule my fate for the next year, it is fun to look at what I did on this day and analyze it in light of this new knowledge. Here's what I did today:

I drank more coffee than usual - It was really cold this morning, so I had two cups of coffee at breakfast and another at lunch with Tea's relatives. Maybe that means I'll be extra-hyper this year. That's just what I need!

I finished the last chapter of A Christmas Carol - It would be nice if this meant that I will finish more books this year. I love reading, but I tend to read slowly and there are sooooooo many books I want to read! Or maybe it means that I'll continue my bad habit of skipping to the last chapter of a book I'm reading when I get bored with it in the middle.....then go back to the middle and finish it!

I went for a long-ish run - This will be nothing new, and if I keep running, I'll stay sane.

I drank out a spring piped out of the ground - Sweet, pure water out of a rock in the middle of a run is a blessing physically and metaphorically. Spiritually speaking, some refreshment for my soul would be nice.....

I met new people - Maybe it's because of my personality, but I always meet people. And I have no doubt that I will continue to in the coming year.

Lots of old men kissed me on the cheek - I don't know if I want to analyze this one!

I dyed my hair blonde - In the winter especially, it's nice to have something bright on top of my head. My natural color is as non-descript as winter, and the gray that is creeping in makes it that much more drab. I could think of this one in two ways: covering up what I don't like or making myself better - I'll take the bettering!

I packed for a trip - While I do love traveling, I would like to have a place to call Home. If the next year continues to move me from place to place........ grrrrr.

I watched SpongeBob SquarePants with Elene - At breakfast we watched the madcap cartoon dubbed in Georgian. To think that I will listen to sponges talk in other languages all year is a little nuts....maybe I'll just watch cartoons with kids - that will be more fun!

Elene read to me - I gave Elene a book for New Year's that has the same story in both English and Georgian. She has been working on reading it to me everyday. I help her with those awful English "sight words" and teach her the English letter combinations and reading rules. Teaching is what I do -- it just comes naturally.

I ate hot bread fresh out of the cook stove - Like the spring water piped out of the rock, hot bread out of the stove feeds the body and soul. And when it is shared in loving company, the spirit is nourished, too. I'll take that everyday, thank you.

I patted a cow on the nose - Well, I'm not sure that I will pat cows every day this year, but I do think they are beautiful. Their furry faces and big eyes are kind and gentle. The cats curled up on my feet under the table today, too, so maybe animals just know that I like them. This year, I guess they won't run away from me.

Tea and I had some great laughs - I love it when Koba comes into the kitchen to see what Tea and I are laughing about. It's good to be in a happy home filled with laughter and love. That's something else I'll take every day!

I also texted and talked on the phone quite a bit - That's a norm!

So, on this new holiday - Lucky Day - I had no negative experiences. I was kind and good to my fellow-villagers, the police, animals, and my host family. I guess if the superstitious Georgians are right, I'll have  a great year. With any luck.....