The middle of the second week of January 2024 and already it seems like this year is in overdrive. Took the Christmas tree down over the weekend; it is always a bit melancholic for me. When the tree goes up, the day after Thanksgiving, I enjoy the entire process with the help of my grandson. When I take it down, I do that alone. I wonder if disassembling the tree is a cause for introspection for others also. Tucking those ornaments away and stripping the lights, carefully wrapping each strand so that next year no one has to spend hours trying to untangle them (a pesky gnome must get into them when I am unaware because come December 2024, they will be a twisted mound of confusion).
Well, the second week of January and it is probably safe to say that any, if not all, New Years Resolutions so deliberately made just 10 days ago have likely been abandoned, annihilated, or abolished. I do not do resolutions. In previous times, when I was much younger, more frivolous, and a believer in my power to stick with something for more than fourteen minutes, I did attempt the resolution thing. I vowed to “exercise more, lose weight, and give up Pepsi.” Oh well.
As I aged and became so very much wiser, instead of setting myself up for guaranteed failure with resolutions, I determined that I would just continue to exercise when required, give the bathroom scale to Bargain Hut, and drink my Pepsi whenever I dang well wanted to. Yes, life became decidedly less complicated thereafter.
As previously stated, clearing up holiday “stuff” alone provides the opportunity for me to think about “stuff” with wild abandon. For those who may not know me well, that means that my mind frantically ricochets around my brain, willy-nilly with no regard to or for absolutely anything. Ok, so not that different from the usual state of my mind, granted, but on steroids.
Assuming that any readers of this digressive account might be remotely interested, I gladly share some of my more riveting thoughts. You are welcome.
1. What constitutes a good apology? As one who is regularly faced with the need to apologize, I guess relevant, sincere, sans excuses would be a good place to begin. Pretty sure that I might need to deliberate this one some more.
2. Where does happiness originate? Ok, I have this one. It’s a choice not a result, happiness is. We can stop waiting for it “to come” to us. It can only come from us. That little change in preposition from “to” to “from” makes all the difference. I make the choice; I am going to be more conscious of that choice, and no, that is not a resolution as much as it is a realization with intent. Is that merely semantics? I do not think so.
3. Sometimes the answer lies in the question. Sounds very similar to one of those inane statements an old English teacher might say, doesn’t it? Here’s where my mind went with this one: if I can understand the essence of the root of the question, I will be more likely to come to an answer. This is not “circular thinking” but rather linear thinking because it requires a methodical and analytical approach to the question. Rarely are questions comprised of only one objective or one level of inquiry.
4. What do we do with questions that seem to have no answer? Not rhetorical necessarily, but questions where the answer is nebulous at best, impossible at worst. Examples of this are: how far east can one travel until he is traveling west? When I forget a thought, where does it go? If I enjoy wasting time, is it really a waste? If I expect the unexpected, is the unexpected now expected? How would anyone ever know if something were infinite? Ok, you get the idea; I am getting a few extra strength Tylenol and a Pepsi.
5. Is there life on other planets? I think about this rather often. Here’s where I “land” on this one. We have no information as to just how vast “space” really is. Heck, I cannot even understand what a “light year” really is. Ok, I can read the definition of one: the distance light travels in one Earth year – about 6 trillion miles. But when The Milky Way is described as being 100,000 light years across, well, gotta say, nope, I do not get it. Six trillion times 100,000 is entirely too many zeroes for me. And would it not seem incredible for us to think that in all of space, we are the only life there is? If there indeed is life elsewhere, could we then be the aliens?
6. How do I discern when I need to hold on and when I need to let go? This one plagues me regularly. I will get back to you.
7. Is there such a thing as “silence”? Even if submersed in a sensory deprivation chamber, wouldn’t I still hear my own breathing?
8. Shadow and light hold much meaning for me, metaphorically and symbolically, heck I could talk for days about that with you, if you might be so inclined. It is comforting to me to know that no matter how dark the shadow, it could not even exist if there were no light. It is the light that provides the shadow. Yep, that is definitely a good thing for me to remember.
Here’s the thing: The tree is dismantled and stored away. A new year has begun and much about the world’s situations remain troubling and even disheartening. There is a great deal for us to ponder and consider. I know how I see things, usually, and I try to stay in some form balance between thinking about everything and driving myself even more crazy. It is fine line. Perhaps the bottom line is that questioning, debating, considering – all are involved in the process of critical thinking where being aware of our own biases and assumptions is, well, critical. Sometimes these do not lead to a definitive answer or understanding as much as they serve to stimulate the thinking process.
Maybe next year when I am putting the decorations away by myself, I should just write a dang resolution, probably would be much quicker and easier, don’t ya know.
bkreigh@adamswells.com
———
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles written by a group of retired and current teachers — LaNae Abnet, Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Kathy Schwartz, Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere. You may also voice your thoughts and reactions via The News-Banner’s letters to editor.
