The New

The New. How better to start my very first blog post, and at the start of a new year. I have been considering  channeling my thoughts through a personal blog for some time. This past year, whenever a complex emotion or thought (or a mucky mixture of the two) took a hold of me, which was seemingly profound or deemed beneficial for sharing with others, I would turn to the all-powerful Facebook as the technical vehicle for tossing these threads to others. I came to understand that this isn't always the best means to attempt to translate these thoughts. Multiple likes or several brief comments wasn't really what I was going for. Additionally, I felt I may be burdening people who turn to social media for more lighthearted fair. Ultimately, I want a more intricate/intimate dialogue and I hope this blog can serve that purpose.

Enough rambling foreplay. I'll dive into the subject of the of this first post, The New.

Cynically: It may be easier to feel the jittery sensations of new experiences or perspectives during the obligatory shifting of a calendar. Those feelings tend to be fleeting and quickly disregarded. Many resolutions become abandoned. The 'new person smell' turns retrograde to old habits and the 'same' is embraced.   

Not-so-cynically: A shared event, such as the new year can open new doors. New ways of seeing ourselves can arise. Retrospection consumes and makes us wiser. Concrete goals can be solidified and dreams realized. Progression takes a step forward (even if only a tiptoe) towards more tolerant, fair and evolved societies.

Let's step away from the new year and these vague examples above. What is more beautiful than discovering something anew by some random, coincidental moment? Walking through the humdrum, trance-like routine we see an old building for the first time. A building we have walked by countless times on the way to work. It's intricate design and artistic masonry of a bygone era wash over us. We see beauty where we previously saw an obstruction.

Take that example and apply it to relationships. Someone we have interacted with for weeks or even years suddenly shines differently to us. Humor may close that great, vacant expanse and bring you closer. A previously unknown hobby or passion becomes shared, benefiting both people. Physical beauty is uncovered where an unassuming body once stood.

Of course, I only just highlighted things turning anew in positive, shinning ways. As humans, things can equally become mundane. New can signify a sudden loss of meaning or attachment. A great friend or lover becomes a stranger. A pet becomes neglected. A toy becomes dust ridden and discarded. This thought is for another post, but not now.

Finally, what does a new sensation do to us? It changes us. We see our world differently and hopefully ourselves. We are constantly changing and to deny that is to become stagnant. Not to say we can't take our loves, passions and aesthetics with us as we age. I think the trick might be to adapt those things which make us 'us' and channel them to new outlets. Sometimes it is necessary to toss away these things to make room for the New. We only have so much room in our tight personal centers after all.