Is it that time again already?
You can count on New Year's Eve to come exactly one week after Christmas Eve every time. But somehow, the ending of the year can still seem to sneak up on me. But...but...wasn't it just Memorial Day? Fourth of July? This year was even a bit more of a shock because we didn't have any snow until earlier this week, and that was more than 12 inches! It just didn't feel much like December and winter before then (to me, anyway.)
But it is that time of year no matter what. It's a holiday, so I write. And I reflect.
Earlier today I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to get a do-over on some years?" Don't most of us wonder what today would be like if we had made any number of different choices? But "what if" can make your head spin. I've watched enough shows involving time travel to know that it's not as easy as it would seem. What's the concept...the butterfly effect. One seemingly minor change in the past can have immense consequences on the present...or future...or one version of the present...or...wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. (See? Time travel is complicated!) As someone who is grateful for TV episodes that start with, "Last time on...," I doubt I could keep track of which one thing in the past I would want to change and which things should be left alone. Life is one big choose-your-own-adventure story. Each choice directs the path to new choices. Change one, and the whole picture changes.
I was reminded of one of the toasts I shared with my family last Christmas:
Don't worry about the future;
the present is all thou hast.
The future will soon be present,
and the present will soon be past.
The past is done and gone. Cherish the good parts and learn from the not-so-good. And the future is never really within our grasp. Plan for it, anticipate it, wonder about it, but before you know it, it will be here and then gone. If I don't live in the present, I'll totally miss it.
As I was writing this, another comparison came to me. I'm a fan of series premieres and finales. How exciting to catch something right from the beginning as well as see it get a proper ending. But if those were the only two episodes of a series I watched, I'd miss out on all the good stuff in the middle! So I can be psyched for the start of a new year. January 1 is the premiere. And I can have fond memories about the old year. December 31 is the finale. I'm going to make sure to catch every important moment in between.
Perhaps I just need to remind myself of this now and again. Luckily for me, December 31 gives me that opportunity.
As we say farewell to 2015 and welcome to 2016, I'll close with another of those toasts.
Here's to the bright new year,
and a fond farewell to the old.
Here's to the things that are yet to come
and the memories that we hold.
May you find something to celebrate every day in 2016!
(Apparently I had no inspired words at the beginning of 2015.)
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