Moment: December 28th, 2023 at 4:31 PM
"How many Christmas movies about New York City could there possibly be?"
In the Indian Christian tradition, we spend New Year's Eve at a watch night service to share testimonies of what God has done in our lives in the last year and pray through the transition to the new year with hope and expectation for what He will do in the coming year. It's a sweet time of reflection and intentionality as we celebrate God's faithfulness in the past, present, and future. We also receive promise cards, which have a bible verse on them that we can meditate on throughout the year (I'll be sharing more about mine in my next post!)
This tends to be a bit different from how most of my friends spend New Year's Eve, which is by watching the live telecast of the ball drop in Times Square. Whenever I go back and watch the recording, I'm always awestruck by the massive avalanche of confetti that rains down on the crowds gathered in the square to commemorate the new year, and this year, although I wasn't in Times Square at that moment, I still got to be a part of it.
In the days leading up to 2024, there were stands set up in Times Square where people could write their wishes, goals, or resolutions on a piece of confetti that would be part of the 3,000 pounds of confetti released at midnight. It's a coordinated effort by 100 volunteers who toss the confetti from the rooftops of Times Square to create a beautiful blizzard of color. I wrote one (it's kind of illegible because my hands were shaking from the cold) that might seem a bit generic for a medical student, but it is something I pray God will help me fulfill in the coming year. It is "to promote health for myself, my family, my friends, and my community."
My concentration for my master's in public health was "health promotion and community health sciences" which essentially boils down to educating people on how to embark on and sustain healthy lifestyles. Medical professionals are notorious for being the worst patients, so my goal this year is to prioritize my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, despite all of the other responsibilities that may try to detract from that. Medical professionals are also called to lead by example, and I hope to be a resource and support to my friends and family to help them advocate for their physical, mental, and spiritual health as well.
As for my community, Jesus' second command to believers after "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" is to "Love your neighbor as yourself." This includes my patients, classmates, and coworkers, but also people I may not personally know, such as survivors of trafficking, victims of war and oppression, and anybody who is in need. I specifically wrote them in the order of myself, family, friends, and community, because I have learned that I am of no help to anyone's health if I am not prioritizing it for myself.
So I decided to start on that journey over Christmas break in Maryland and New York. After a grueling semester, it was truly refreshing to have quality time with my family watching Christmas movies and The Chosen, playing medical-themed games (I have to keep up my knowledge somehow!), and having late-night heart-to-hearts about our hopes and fears for the coming year. We took a day to go to the Big Apple, where my family entertained my Home Alone 2-inspired itinerary through Central Park, 5th Avenue, and Rockefeller Center.
We laughed (and cringed) at a Broadway show, ate 99 cent pizza and chicken over rice, and in the perfect ending to the perfect day, my two aunts and their families from New Jersey and Michigan met us right in the heart of the city. We drank mango lassi and ate samosa chaat served in paper cups and bowls (but metal spoons) out of the trunk of their minivan while talking into the early hours of the morning. Some things, like family, are worth losing sleep over. A random test in medical school, not so much :) here's to 2024!
