A New Beginning

Time flows on, a river of events and experiences carrying us to our destination – The End.

Who knows what the new year will bring. In a sense it is a revival, a renewal, a starting over. A chance to start with a clean slate. And yet, time is fluid and we are not limited to making a fresh start – or making resolutions if that’s your thing – at the start of a new year. We can embark on new paths at any time. 

But the convenience, or the conformity, of the calendar year gives us a ready milestone, It’s an easy mark from which to set out on our personal goals: From this day hence I shall do X. We set that starting point with an endpoint in mind. (Is anybody else bothered that starting point is two words and endpoint is one?)

And sometimes it’s nice to have an easy mark by which to set the course. The wise men had that star. Luke had that tiny exhaust port in the trench around the girth of the Death Star. Frodo had Mount Doom. Ah, I’m getting off track. But I like those analogies, even if they don’t completely fit.

I don’t really make resolutions, at least not in the traditional sense. Of course I set goals and I have dreams and desires and sometimes I even have a plan for achieving those. And sometimes I follow through.

My point is this: I began a new journey about two months ago, and it continues. I hope it goes on and on. I was struck then by the appropriateness of the song that shuffle randomly selected to start my run this morning, my first run of the new year. My first run as I fully embark on this journey.

I love the live version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” from “The Dance,” the band’s 1997reunion. The concert featured the USC Marching Trojans on “Tusk” and “Don’t Stop.” Any band geek must love it. And just look at the lyrics:

Does my face make this road look fat?

If you wake up and don't want to smile,
If it takes just a little while,
Open your eyes and look at the day,
You'll see things in a different way. Don't stop thinking about tomorrow,
Don't stop, it'll soon be here, It'll be better than before, Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone.
Why not think about times to come,
And not about the things that you've done,
If your life was bad to you,
Just think what tomorrow will do.
Don't stop thinking about tomorrow,
…
Don't you look back,
Don't you look back.

(Emphasis added. And no, my notation undoubtedly does not meet APA style.)

Well, as 2014 dawns I am done looking back. I’ve tried looking forward for a while now, but it wasn’t until late October that I cleared the fog and could see down the road. Before that, I kept retreating into the past – the fog seemed less obscuring in that direction. The past has its miseries, but they’re in the past and easy to gloss over. The good times gone by are easier to latch onto and hold tight to. But they are beacons of misguided hope – you can’t go back. Kind of like will-o’-the-wisps, they lead you away from the path until you are lost beyond hope. Better to admire them from afar for their pretty light and then focus your attention on the future.

That’s what I’m doing these days. And my future is looking pretty bright. I’d say it’s so bright I gotta wear shades, but that line’s been taken. Suffice it to say, I’ve a good feeling about 2014.

Today's Stats

Temp: 13 degrees F

Distance: 4.6 miles

Weekly Total: 4.6 miles

Treasure: Auto dealer stick-on logo (V.J. Neu, Inc. – Aledo, Ill.) 

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Don’t Stop (live) – Fleetwood Mac

Countin’ On A Miracle – Bruce Springsteen

Games – Ryan Adams

Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) – Billy Joel

Helter Skelter (live) – U2

Downfall – Matchbox Twenty

All Your Reasons – Matchbox Twenty

Girl Like That – Matchbox Twenty

Best of Times – Styx

Caught Up In You - .38 Special

Shoot To Thrill – AC/DC

Happiness – The Fray