As I lie there and watch the crowded streets of New York
City on my television screen, I begin to drift off to sleep wondering how all
of those people have the energy to spend an entire day standing in one spot, in
the freezing cold, waiting to ring in the New Year. I wake up a few minutes
later to the sound of Miley Cyrus singing Wrecking Ball, and scowl at the idea
that this is the stuff America is popularizing right now. Why would they pick
her above all the truly great artists out there to sing on the last night of
the year? Publicity I suppose. For a few moments, my mind is distracted by my
disappointment with the entertainment industry.
But the camera turns back to the ball, which is lit up
beautifully. I look at the countdown clock at the bottom of the screen…only a
minute and a half left in 2013. Now a minute fifteen seconds, now a minute. As
the crystal ball begins to drop, my thoughts turn to the past year. Images of
everything that happened, everything we did, all the new beginnings and final
endings, flash through my mind like the scene in Armageddon when Bruce Willis’
character is about to push the button. I try to remember all of the best
moments we had, the ones that truly made the year great. I see my kids running
and playing and growing up way too fast. I long to stop the clock so I can have
just a little bit longer to capture the memories. And as that ball reaches the
bottom, as the 2014 sign lights up so brilliantly in celebration of the year to
come, I see 2013 as a page on a calendar, ripped off by the wind and blown away
into the dark night, not to be seen again.
How does a year go by so fast? Why is it that we don’t
realize that it’s happening until the very end? And why do I waste my time on
things that will never matter when life is going in fast forward all around me?
Every year that goes by cannot be relived. In fact, every
month, week, day, and second that goes by cannot be relived. Each moment that
lies before us is uniquely special in that it is a one-time deal. Once it is
past, it is gone for good.
This year, I vow to worry less and relax more. I vow to
complain less about the things I can’t change and do something about the things
I can change. I vow to take more pictures and create more vivid memories of our
adventures. I vow to try my best to live in the present and celebrate each day
for what it is: a unique and special moment in time that is mine to create.
What will you do to more fully create your 2014? I’d love to
hear!
I loved your post. This year I am going to hold my friends close and my family closer (if that's possible!).
ReplyDeleteYour blog got me thinking and I wonder if when Miley Cyrus is a mother, and she looks back at 2013, and has to explain her actions to her children, if she will be proud of the way she acted? Unfortunately, she probably will.