My favourite thing about new year’s is not the booze and parties (although those are fun!). It’s the lucky black eyed peas (food, not band). Indeed, I became a bit obsessed with January 1st good-luck breakfasts while living in Nashville, TN; so now, black eyed peas are a staple at our first breakfast table each year. Until I did a little googling for this post, however, I didn’t realize that this tradition traced back to an ancient Jewish custom for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish new year). It was picked up by non-Jewish Southerners around the time of the Civil War…and I started doing it after a Southern friend got me hooked. It just seemed like fun, and it stuck. I think I’ve kept doing it because I loved my 5 years in Nashville so much, it’s now a way to remember and honour that time in my life as each new year begins.
This new year’s was not just about looking backwards, though – it was also about looking forwards and, mostly, about enjoying the present. Last year at this time, Continue reading
