I woke up in someone elsesa国际传媒檚 bed the other morning. The alarm was beeping. I tried to whack the snooze button, but the alarm wasnsa国际传媒檛 where it should be.

I realized I was also sharing the bed with a large St. Bernard-cross dog. And two cats.

Then I remembered. I was at my daughtersa国际传媒檚 house, watching over her house, her pets, her plants, and her son, while she and my granddaughter were driving to California, where my granddaughter plans to start her new life, which involves sa国际传媒� well, you donsa国际传媒檛 need all the details.

My point is, I was in an unfamiliar setting. Where I didnsa国际传媒檛 know where to find my regular breakfast cereal, which I need to keep myself regular sa国际传媒� What? Too many details again?.

But itsa国际传媒檚 the details that make the difference. As the saying goes, sa国际传媒淭he devil is in the details.sa国际传媒� A bed is a bed; a house is a house. But doing without All-Bran is a crisis.

In any kind of new life, a multitude of details, old and new, will keep tripping you up.

This sa国际传媒渘ew yearsa国际传媒� is a perfect example. You turn over a sheet on your wall calendar. Itsa国际传媒檚 blessedly blank. But you still have last yearsa国际传媒檚 commitments to fulfil. And last yearsa国际传媒檚 credit card charges to pay.

The baggage of life tags along, like it or not.

I fell in love last year. With someone who lives and works a thousand miles away. Our relationship is sometimes torrid, sometimes tentative. Because we both drag a lifetime of baggage with us sa国际传媒� family, friends, responsibilities, propertysa国际传媒�

Travelling light is not easy.

Starting anything newsa国际传媒攚hether a year or a relationship sa国际传媒� requires deliberately letting go of some things. For example, I didnsa国际传媒檛 attempt to put up all of my wife Joansa国际传媒檚 decorations this last Christmas. She loved turning our home into something festive, with candles and streamers and embroidered Christmas stockings and little gray mice on the mantlepiece dancing around a music-box Christmas-tree that tinkles Jingle Bells.

But the house doesnsa国际传媒檛 feel festive with just me in it. Me, and my cat. Who delights in knocking brightly coloured glass balls onto the floor.

I feel like the ghost of Christmas past as I sweep the debris into a dustpan.

sa国际传媒楾was ever thus. Before I got married, my family didnsa国际传媒檛 decorate the Christmas tree until Christmas Eve. We didnsa国际传媒檛 take down our decorations until Twelfth Night, January 6. I burned the tree goodbye in our backyard.

I had to let go of some of those traditions when I married Joan. We needed to create new traditions together. You cansa国际传媒檛 move on, tethered to yesterdaysa国际传媒檚 anchors.

Maybe New Yearsa国际传媒檚 is a good time for self-examination. To identify some of those anchors. sa国际传媒淪tuffsa国际传媒� wesa国际传媒檝e accumulated. Assumptions wesa国际传媒檝e taken for granted.

Letting go means taking the risk of letting go of the wrong things. Like a friendship. A favourite activity. A vocation. Getting rid of a mountain while keeping a molehill.

The arrival of a new calendar year should remind us that every year sa国际传媒� indeed, every day, every hour sa国际传媒� is the start of something new. We cannot know what lies ahead, good or bad. The best we can do is travel light.

Jim Taylor lives in Lake Country: rewrite@shaw.ca