PORTRAIT OF A MAN CONTEMPLATING ANOTHER NEW YEAR.
Happy New Year. January. A noun whose origins are rooted in the name of the Roman God of all beginnings, Janus. The Oxford English Dictionary also notes how January is “…the first month of the year, in the northern hemisphere, usually considered the second month of winter.”
New beginnings. Having done the dishes I’m sitting on the couch at my mom’s house in the family room. My dog Kira lays next to me curled up in a little ball of warm white cuddly fuzz. Time doesn’t appear to have much meaning for dogs, but it does for me, firm in the knowledge that she will turn 16 this year. I love her so much. She’s so perfect, so loving, and so attentive. I’m unbelievably grateful to have her in my life.
I didn’t go out this new years. I can’t remember the last time I did. It might have been when 2019 melted into 2020, when I saw the first KNIVES OUT at 5th Avenue @cineplexmovies in Vancouver. Tonight I watched the thriller DEAD OF WINTER with my Mum, who turns 80 on January 8. We had a scare earlier in December when her blood sugar dropped too low and she was rushed to the hospital. My dad, her husband of over 40 years, passed when he was 80, 22 years ago. Time moves so fast. I was so young then, now I sit firm in middle age.
I don’t know what this year will bring. I’m not making any resolutions other than to be a better person to myself and the world around me. Cool air soothes my skin from the open screen door as the muffled sound of fireworks explode in the distant darkness. Happy New Years my friends.
(01/365).