Baby, New Year.

OK, everyone, it’s the Western New Year, time to sweep out the temple! But how shall we sweep it? With a handmade stick broom which is romantic, but does not actually make the temple floor less dirty?

Probably.

It’s Western New Year, but it is actually impossible to sweep the temple in an all-American mop-n-glo way. The temple is not such. You can’t swiffer the temple.  All you can do here is the best you can.

On this, the cusp of 2015, I am feeling pretty good about last year’s sweep. Last year’s theme was “Breathe, next stair.” Over time, I have learned to set the bar a little lower on January first, and mop-n-glo themes like “Achieve saintlike discipline and benevolent dispassion” have kind of given way to the stick broom. And that is a tool that you have to use to get better at.

But I did OK in 2014. I built my church, in a way, and I wrestled Satan and her armies too. The devil won some and I won a few, too. I’m overall less sick. I’m overall more peaceful. These lovely new fences mostly keep joy in.

Looking forward it’s hard to say other than “keep sweeping.”