Getting ready for the New Year- what does it mean to you?

What do you do to get ready for the new year? Do you “reddup” , cleaning out closets, rooms, basements and attics? As a child I remember watching my parents clean the house, “reddup” our toys and make room for people to visit for the New Year. It probably didn’t help that my twin sister and I shared our birthday on New Year’s Day, when we could expect more toys and presents from our relatives. I give everyone credit for being able to come up with presents so soon after Christmas. But that is a topic for another post.

But I am getting sidetracked here. What exactly do you do when you “reddup”? In some parts of Pennsylvania people use this word all the time. It means to clean up, tidy up something or some place. As a college student I used to use the time after the holidays (but before I went back to school) to “reddup” my heart, and mind; relaxing and reading and just thinking. I wonder how much we do that these days? I am looking forward to that time right after the holidays to “reddup” my heart and mind, now that I am retired. Usually as a teacher, it was jump right back into teaching and school work the day after New Years.

I think we all need time in our lives to “reddup” our hearts and our minds. It might help us be more thoughtful in our speech and actions if we take time to “reddup” or reboot ourselves. What do you think?