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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: New Year (05/09/05)
It seems odd to be celebrating the beginning of a new year in midwinter. I look out my window through frost painted panes and see snow lying thick upon the ground. What sign is there of newness? I concede it is a holiday, and a fresh unmarked calendar hangs on the wall. People gather and celebrate and make New Year’s resolutions, which they find hard to keep. And it is no wonder.

Mid winter when the wind is blowing cold and the temperature is frigid, one thinks twice about venturing anywhere. At the New Year I’m more inclined to put on a pot of tea and read a book, or cook a thick stew to heat up the house. After hosting Christmas, torpor is more likely to claim me than any attempt to party or make resolutions, that require an energy I don’t have.

New Year has the sound of beginning with a fresh start, which January isn’t in any significant sense. Following the cycle of the seasons, spring would seem to be the time to celebrate the new. At the first hint of winter breaking, a sensation of vitality courses through my veins – akin to sap rising in the trees. I find myself watching for the thickening of buds, the greening of grass, the first flourish of sun yellow dandelions and I begin to dream again.

Meanwhile, on the first day of January when I turn the calendar to a new year, I find myself quietly acknowledging the train of time. It has become an occasion of reflection on what has been and what may be. As for celebrating a new year of fresh beginnings, I wait until spring thaw. It is a time when signs of resurrection, re-creation and rebirth abound.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Sally Hanan
05/18/05
You brought me right into your kitchen with you. Lovely imagery and writing.
Phyllis Inniss 
05/20/05
I enjoyed this piece and I tend to agree with you. I don't have winter where I live and January here seems more like a spring month with its renewal and recreation. Good writing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.