Well now, so here we are: 2009.And here's a riddle for you, gentle reader.
"I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every place. What am I?"
E-mail me your answer (no googling! ;) ), and the first person to get it right gets to be a guest blogger for 2009! Yes, you can use this page to write about anything you want for a day. As long as it doesn't get me kicked off Blogger. Happy New Year!
This morning, I repeated a request from a week ago that I will definitely import to my day to day life, once this project ends in July.
I was stuck in the last row of the plane, again, and had a tight connection, again. I asked the flight attendant if there were any empty seats in the front, or if she could ask someone in front to switch with me.
"I'll try," she promised.
A few minutes later, she returned to say there are empty aisle seats halfway up. I took my things and moved, and made it to the next flight in the nick of time.
If I seem paranoid, it's for good reason. Last year, when I was in Boston and Mr. A had just moved to San Diego, we did a year of long distance. Every month, we took turns visiting one another for a weekend. I can think of very few trips where the travel went smoothly for either of us. Part of it was bad luck, circumstances, weather, but part of it was trust -- trusting the airlines and airports to do a good job under pressure, to patch up the missed connections, to solve logistical nightmares effectively, and the like. More than once, sitting in the back of the plane led to awful delays and headaches.
This time around, I'm vigilant. I'll do whatever it takes to maximize my chances. There's a saying back in the old country: "Once you get burned sipping soup, you learn to blow into yogurt." (i.e. to cool it off...)
Gained: Watched the ball drop with the people I love.
I started at my aunt's house, for a family dinner. After the stroke of midnight, I drove to a friend's house for part two. I had been hesitating: My grandma and mom didn't want me to go. They were worried about the drive -- and drugs. ("Make sure no one puts drugs in your drink!" Mama cautioned on my way out the door.) And I was exhausted from this morning's red eye. But I'm glad I went. It reminded me that I'm almost 30, not 130.
On the drive over, something magical happened. I had time to think. I spend every New Year's Eve with people -- sometimes I force myself to do "fun" things, just because I feel that's what one does on the big night. More often than not, I end up over-stressed and underwhelmed.
Tonight the highway was foggy, so I took it slow, and on those 20 miles I turned the radio down and I coasted, reflected, emptied my mind and let it fill again, calmly, in silence. I was alone, yet not alone, and I felt content...
Best wishes to you all for health, success, and happiness in the coming year, and lots more asking,
La Roxy
