In the new year, I hope you believe. 

I hope you believe in the little things; in the sweet seconds of innocence that fill your heart with warmth. I hope you believe in morning coffees that are just right or in new songs that somehow explain exactly how you feel. I hope you believe in the ways your smile turns into a reflex every time you see your best friends for the first time in weeks; in the familiar rhythm of conversation that flows from you as if time hasn’t changed a single thing. I hope you believe in the power of home cooked meals and nights spent in with family on days when your body aches for familiarity. I hope you believe in the moments that make you realize home is a feeling you carry within you wherever you go.

I hope you believe in the places your mind wanders when your eyes catch a glimpse of sparkling lights or freshly fallen snow; in the journeys you have already lived and those that are still unknown. I hope you believe in the memories from the first time you fell in love; in the way you still remember exactly what you were wearing that day you learned what it meant to share your soul with someone else. I hope you believe in what comes in between of hello and goodbye. I hope you believe in words unwritten and pages still waiting to be read; in stories that don’t need an ending to be valid in your heart. I hope you believe in complexity; in the beauty of every enmeshed reality that has, despite every detour, brought you to the places you were meant to go.I hope you believe in new beginnings that are waiting to take you by surprise.

I hope you believe in the people that make the rooms in your soul overflow with love; in the real, gut-wrenching kind that makes even chaos feel like serenity. I hope you believe in eyes that belong amongst the stars; in gazes that shatter the stone coated walls that others have built. I hope you believe in the risks of vulnerability or in the strength it takes to lay your heart out one more time. I hope you believe in second chances, not only for others, but also for yourself.

I hope you believe in the type of forgiveness that doesn’t always follow an apology; in the faces of those who are hurting that need it the most. I hope you believe in the freedom you find when you learn to let go more than you seek. I hope you believe in the sigh of relief your body lets out when you replace every ounce of bitterness with kindness. I hope you believe in shining even brighter when those around you try to dim your light.

I hope you believe in yourself the way those who love you do. I hope, on days that make you feel defeated, you believe in an existence that was made for so much more. I hope you believe in how deserving you are of a life that makes you feel whole. I hope you still believe in your dreams the way your six-year-old self believed in anything but limits. I hope you still believe in the things that breathe colors into a world that can sometimes feel so meek.

But above all, in the new year I hope you believe in the kind of magic that transcends the happy endings of movies or books; in the crumbs that guide your way when every direction leaves you feeling lost. And when all else fails, I hope you believe in the power of your footsteps; in the strength of moving forward every day.

Because the only magic you need to believe in is the one that is still very much alive in your heart.