Here's to 2014

Well, the start of a new year is fast approaching. While Jan 1, 2014 is just a normal day, its traditional that most people think of this day as something novel. A family friend at a dinner party I went to tonight said that "every day should be like New Year's since every day is a new adventure". I thought that quote was quite insightful as it shows that the only thing special about New Year's is that we make it special. But, I digress. This post isn't about how traditions create inefficiencies in society even though they are needed to mantain structure.


So anyway, at this time of year I guess its natural for me to reflect on the events of the last twelve months and what lies ahead in the upcoming year. It is kind of funny that every new year my mom always says something along the lines of  "this upcoming year is an important year for our family" as if all the previous years were unimportant by comparasion. But, in a sense, I guess the present is really all that matters since that's all we really have.



However, looking back, this year doesn't seem all that significant compared to the changes that will be happening in the upcoming one (presumably). The most significant aspects of this year were basically my experience working at a corporate job downtown and starting my final year of university. Of course, its ridiculous to just summarize what I thought of 2013 into a single sentence. Since, if you know anything about me, I believe that /everything/ we do is significant and even the most subtle actions help to dictate who we are and what we will become.

Nonetheless, I do suspect that next year will bring about a great deal of change to my life. And, in a way, I'm glad I have this sense of progression in my life to look forward to since maybe others do not. For one, I'm not quite sure where I'll be living (California? Ontario?) or what I'll be doing (working, school, etc...) but I"m pretty sure it'll be different than what I'm doing now.  I only hope that I set off on a path that is meaningful to me.

There are only really two things I want to mention before I end this post. The first is that while some goals might seem daunting (such as getting a certain type of a job) when we initially formulate them in our mind, they aren't nearly as bad once we take the first steps towards that goal. Its as if, previously, I was attempting to scale a huge mountain but was only staring at it from the base, worried about the sheer magnitude of the situation. But once you start taking the first few steps and tackle the actual problem, you can ignore the massive scope of the problem and just work at it - eventually, you'll reach the top or at least make some progress.  The point of this (somewhat lame) analogy was to remind myself that while some goals I have might seem truly complex or impossible at first, the only way things will ever seem easier is if I actually begin to work at it. This is especially true with some of my more outlandish goals such as writing a novel. So, if I wanted to give myself a "new year's resolution" it would simply be to get started on working towards some of the dreams/ideas I have floating around in the back of my mind.

The second thing I wanted to mention is that tonight I'm feeling somewhat nostalgic since, for the first time in about 3 years, I won't be home for New Years and instead will be spending it with my family in another place. I feel just a hint of bittersweet sadness when I think of how this might be the last time my friends and I  will ever have a new year's party back home since this year most of us are graduating and moving on to different things/places. And, unfortunately, I won't be there. I guess saying goodbye and growing up is never easy. And, as Holdon aptly noted in Catcher in the Rye once we start talking about how we feel we just end up missing everybody. And I suppose that's how I feel right now.