Monday, June 26, 2006

Are We There Yet?

We are very nearly halfway through the year. One day you look up from this petty pace and realize that almost 180 days have gone by, and you haven't yet gotten to where you wanted to be six months past New Year's.

What a meaningless metric.

Why do we think the year magically changes on the eve of December 31st? Undoubtedly, it's because we identify the seasons of earth with those of mankind, from the nacent bloom of April's first bud, through the thunderstorms of July, when nature shows her power and trees are most substantial, to the quiet November night, when the fauna lay themselves to rest till spring. Does not our age change, though, because of the number of birthdays we've had rather than the number of Springs we've seen? It is the day, not the year, that determines when we have reached a numerical plateau. December 31st is simply the day we choose to celebrate and mourn en masse the future and the past.

December 31st is the day we have chosen to say, "well, that was last year. Let's see what next year brings." Fruitful or failed diet plans and old aquaintance notwithstanding, December 31st is just a day. The truth is, New Year's is when we chose it to be. My year is measured by days, not dates.

So if this past year hasn't been the best, take heart. After all, tomorrow is another year.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you ever want a detailed anthropological lecture on the evolution of the Gregorian calendar and its articulation with various "pagan" calculations of the solar year, let me know :)

11/19/2006 9:07 AM  

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