This is a love letter to New Years. It is a love letter to people as well.
I’m not actually a big fan of holidays (yet), but New Years is my favorite. So much that I take advantage of celebrating it in all its forms.
For many, the New Year is a time to make new goals, and to celebrate the passing of time that the unit of measurement known as a year represents. Interestingly enough, we often experience a cultural understanding of how the year has passed and find ourselves agreeing that “this year felt much longer” or “I thought [an occurrence] happened this year, but it was actually two years ago”.
I can remember every New Years Celebration I have experienced, but I sometimes can’t remember my own birthday. I remember standing downtown in 30 degree weather, a slight drizzle leading into the early morning, texting those I cared about that I was happy to have lived another year with them in my life. I remember sitting on top of the car or the truck, watching children, neighbors, relatives, loved ones, and friends blow up fireworks together, enjoying their brightness and their sense of renewal. I remember parking the car on the side of the road to watch a local university’s fireworks show with my beloved, thinking all the while how lucky I was to have people like him in my life.
This reflection, of time, of space, of life, of community-wide experiences or any other shared part of the calendar year, brings us standing outside in the cold as we wait for the countdown and the fireworks, as we wait for some oddly significant piece of history to take effect at the stroke of midnight.
Despite all traditions, my favorite part of the New Year’s celebration is standing in a sea or crowd of others, excited for opportunities and possibilities and future goals and accomplishments, and truly feeling that our lives are together a shared experience. I enjoy community and togetherness. Perhaps it’s also sitting at home drunkenly singing to Auld Lang Syne with the people I love. No matter what, I feel my love for others the strongest on New Years.
I love the idea that we all desire to grow, to change, and to exist much more. To be more present, more mindful, healthier, happier, kinder. To attempt new challenges, even if we fail a whopping two or three weeks later. These are the things I love about people, and New Years brings this to the front of all our Illustrator layers of life. Our bad habits take a backseat to our goals.
I shall reiterate and put my thoughts to rest:
My love is strongest on New Years.
But I plan to make it this way all the time. (:
Peace, Goodnight, & Happy New Year! ♥
Tal
(This is my first attempt at responding to the daily prompt, which is year!)
talgorithms 