A Letter to the New Year

Dear 2009,

Our relationship is only 6 days old, but I have begun to believe in you. Normally I try to avoid the new year, "new beginning" trap. You know, that popular belief that with the start of a new year, people should renew their lives. I've always treated the start of new year as just another day, often preferring to stay at home and reflect rather than drinking as if the new year will bring about prohibition part 2 and kissing a stranger at midnight. Besides, everyone knows that the time for rebirth is in the spring.

However you, 2009, hold the promise for some real change. While you are here we will get a new (!) president, say bye bye to non-cable televsion, and hopefully begin to dig ourselves out of the shithole that we now call our economy. You will decide whether I go to graduate school or work and travel for another year. Your arrival marked the beginning of my new life with the boy. A life that has involved me moving to NC, temporarily at least, and adopting more frequent usage of the terms "we" and "us." Since you've been here I've resolved to work on curbing my insecurity, starting with a long talk with the boy that left me feeling better and more relieved than I have in a long time. I've signed up to volunteer in my new community, I'm heading to a creative writing workshop in a few hours, and I've been running regularly.

While I won't claim that you've brought me a crock of new beginnings, 2009, I will give you credit for steering me back on track. A particularly impressive feat given I had spent the past two months drowning in graduate school materials, indecision, and stress about my future. All I ask is that you send me a few reminders every now and then. When I start to doubt and stress, and end up paralyzing myself with my own thoughts. If you can do that for me, 2009, then I think that I'll be able to handle the rest.

359 More Days Yours,
Smash