A New Year

So another year has passed and once again we sit around thinking about the past year, wondering what we could have done, regretting and enjoying what we did do, and making ridiculously high goals for the coming year. 

Okay so that is the popular belief of what happens at the end of a year but if your like me the expectations of the holidays and all of their wonder are never the reality of what really happens. Take valentines day for example all of the loving nice stuff you are suppose to do for your loved one and how "important" it seems to be for the life of every relationship when in reality the husband buys flowers and chocolates to keep himself out of the dog house with the wife, who is waiting at home for a romantic evening which ends up being dinner with the kids and some chic flick turned down low so as not to wake the kids. 

But back to New Years. If you are like me you will see no point to setting year long goals that you will more than likely not complete and sit feeling bad about next January first. Instead I like to take life as it comes. If I am making something I will set a goal for when it should be finished while I am working on it, If I am reading a book I will set a goal for that, if I am taking a class I will set many goals during that class. I do this because I know these are goals that I can complete and I am less likely to regret not doing them.

Discoveries

Childhood and infant discoveries are wonderful events with side effects. Take blowing bubbles for example an infant will discover this trick one day and mom and dad will encourage it and do whatever they can to make it happen again and again. This is the wonderful part because the connection between the child and parent is strengthened and a new way to communicate has been created but then the side effects come. The first is hearing the same sound over and over again throughout the next several days. The second is a reaction to the sound becomes expected and if the reaction does not come then the cries will. The third comes at night, all night, the sound will be heard as your child is completely happy with repeating the sound over and over again in the silence until dawn then when the parent is to tired to function the child drifts peacefully off to sleep. The fourth side effect is when the parent finds themselves repeating the sound randomly throughout the day (often times when the child is not present). These side effects occur again and again as every child makes more and more discoveries. Some might think that a person grows out of this as time goes on but sure enough it is still seen everywhere in the adult world from the student at college that repeats a story, action, or phrase to anybody that will listen (often to the same person more than once), to the family get together's where many people will circle the room repeating themselves until everyone and everything has seen or heard what they have to say. Discoveries and their side effects are appart of human nature. Every person has a need to learn and grow and every person has a need for thier growth to be validated by another individual. So to all parents like me that are laying awake at four am wondering if the bubbles will ever stop the answer is yes, but be thankful that for this night bubbles are the only thing your child is doing to keep you up.

Winter

Every season has is reason for existing. The creation, duration, and conclusion of it is what keeps us living breathing and eventually dieing. Winter with its blanket of white, blocks the worn brown earth from our destructive feet. It protects and strengthens the new life which is awaiting its grand awakening in the spring. The peace of winter is truly found on a night when the snow has freshly fallen and the moon is full. At this time a simple walk will take a person into a different world that can never be touched by the light of day, one that is so peaceful so beautiful that only heaven could up stag it.