Run-up to No-New

I made the decision to commit to My No-New Year in mid-December. However, I found it easier to commit to deprivation in the future, leaving a window for preparatory overindulgence. As luck would have it, the masochism start-date of the year was just around the corner: January 1st.

This gave me two weeks to purchase whatever new items I was to have for 2012. A procrastinator at heart, I did nothing out of the ordinary for the first week. During the second week I felt the excitement that comes with a deadline and the urge to gluttony that comes with impending restriction. I anticipated the need for a shopping extravaganza with days of rigorously scheduled stops picking up every last thing.

Instead, I could only think of three things: picture frames, baby presents, and window blinds. I bought the picture frames because I had long meant to cover a wall with family photos and I really wanted the frames to match. I bought the baby presents because although I am happy to receive used items as gifts, I cannot quite bring myself to give them yet. I did not buy the blinds because an ordering snafu kept me from purchasing them before the 1st. That was it.

It was the feeling that I had as I walked out of each store was the most memorable part of that week. I felt a lightness as I bade farewell to the familiar box stores. I felt relief that I would not step foot in one again for twelve months. It was a feeling of freedom, akin to walking out of the classroom on the last day of school.