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The first one from 2011

Another year. Why are we always amazed at this? It's not like time has moved faster or slower. It's not like it hasn't happened before. 365 days have gone by, and so we have a reason to party. That seems really random. Who thought that up? "Hey, whatcha say, that every 365 days we make a huge party?" And then some other dude (high on who-knows-what) said, "Dude, yeah... but let's make an even BIGGER party on the 366th day every four years--yeah!" Like the whole one year, twelve months, 52 weeks, 365 days thingy was not complicated enough.

A friend of mine recently said that she finds it just a tad absurd--but fascinatingly interesting--that more than half of the world celebrates the "new year" on December 31st, when every year begins at a different time for all of us.

Our first year begins on the first anniversary of our birthday--or do you really mean to say that my little cousin Alejandro's life, born on the 18 of December two years ago, can really be measured 14 days after his birth? And my year should begin on July 14th. But then again, my new life began on August 31st, so that should be my celebration.

You see? We all have different times at which something life-changing has occurred. Yet we choose to adapt to the world culture and celebrate on December 31st. Even the Thais celebrate December 31st, although that day has absolutely no significance to them. It's super.

I guess the world needs things to make us feel one. Like soccer. I don't find the sport interesting in the slightest bit. But I do love the feeling the sport brings to me. I feel like part of a crowd, like part of the world. During a soccer game, we are not our country, we are not our flag, we are not our skin color. For 90 minutes we are a team running from one court to the other to score a goal. We are a People. We are The People.

I don't know what 2011 will bring. I've been reading things I wrote years ago (Thailand seems like a whole lifetime away, now), and I am happy to see how much I've grown and changed since then. I am also pleased to see how good of a writer I was (and continue to be). My ego and high self esteem have not changed much, obviously.

I will share with you the wish another friend wished for me: I wish some of your dreams come true, but not all of them, so that you may still continue to dream.

And, as the Germans say, Guten Rutsch! Have a great slide into the new year.

My slide has been cool so far. And I have already begun dreaming my new dreams.

Comments

  1. I usually use this time to take a breath, see what I have done and think about the things i´d like to do in the near future. Its a self-renewing time.?!. atn, Pablo

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