Walking out of the old year and into the new year is a tradition we were introduced to a few years ago while visiting friends in Northern Ireland.

Rain or shine, the whole family congregates to caravan to a crescent stretch of coastline. The New Year’s Day we joined them there was an invigorating wind mixed with a fine mist that pushed at our backs. Dogs and children rain ahead. Adults meandered behind, ruminating on the year past, in clusters that organically moved together and then gently broke apart again into new pairings.

This tradition has stuck with me, with us.

I like the thoughtfulness of letting go & entering a new year this way. I like the gathering of an entire family– siblings, spouses, cousins, grandparents. I love that this walk occurs regardless of the weather.

So, we appropriated the tradition.

While our New Year’s Day walk won’t be on a beautiful beach Ireland, we are going to explore our wild & beautiful state. This year– Trace State Park.

Taking our time, we ambled down a quiet path that hugged the edge of a lake. We stopped to collect leaves, identify animal tracks, and pick bracket fungus. It was quiet, but for our voices. There were only a few tears when the youngest hit the nap-time wall. And, we savored the time later spent with through-thick-and-thin friends.

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NYD 2016: Trace State Park