January 1

I acknowledge that calendars are of man’s making and his need to keep track of time, but I also acknowledge that I like the idea of New Beginnings. As an aging hippy chick I have always loved the phrase “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”. I know it would be easy to dismiss it as a cliché or heaven forbid a “duh” moment, but I’d rather not. I also have decided that I would rather not think of it as inverting an hour glass of sand, for eventually the sand will run out. No, I like the river analogy much better. I always liked the water cycle when I taught science. There is no beginning or end, just constant change, change in speed from a lazy bayou to dangerous rapids and roaring falls, change in state from solid sleet, ice or snow, to liquid that cannot hold its own shape, to fog hanging low over the valley. My favorite teaching moments were always about water, taking a cold can of soda from the icebox and watching the water condense out of thin air, or covering a plant in clear plastic to prove transpiration.

So friends, I will try to “go with the flow” but I know there will be times when I may need a set of oars, or an extra set of hands to help me, or maybe even a raincoat. I know there will be times when I float on a warm ocean current and watch the water laden clouds float above me, and I know there will be storms aplenty. Such is the nature of Life. It will not always be smooth sailing but it will always be a kick, so BRING IT On!!!