Sunday, January 1, 2012

at the beginning again


image via: http://theopendoorcommunity.com/Images/mgj-out-open-door.jpg


It's a beautiful day here for the first day of the new year, a day that is really like any other day, like the one before it and the one after it and yet we imbue this day with so much optimism and possibility, this arbitrary choice to end one cycle and begin another. It would make more sense for the winter solstice to be the new year, the end of the long night and the beginning of the long day.

We're having our traditional breakfast, a young tradition, yes, something that we have started doing since we took up permanent residence here at the country house...mimosas, bacon, eggs, sweet rolls. The food is not always the same but the mimosas, the big breakfast are.

Later today I will be accompanying my sister to a New Year's Day open house. It is at the house of a friend of hers from high school, a girl who came from a broken home and life with her mother was such that she spent a great deal of her time at our house and my own opinion of life at my house was not all that great. How much worse was her's that she thought our house was so much better. I was 15 then.

I remember when my sister got married, the bridesmaids had her 'spinster' party at this woman's apartment. I was 16 when my sister married, was at the party and got drunk and didn't want to go home. We all slept over though someone was supposed to bring me home. My parents were furious with me the next day and with everyone else for not bringing me home. Oh, I was so hungover. I think back and wonder, as I did then, what was the big deal? It's not like I had never slept over at a friend's house before. But I guess that even though 19 year old girls could have their own apartments, jobs, get married and get pregnant, they weren't considered adults. At least not by my parents.

But I digress.

I fear the coming year is going to be even more contentious than this last one. Our population has become so polarized that middle ground no longer exists. The full court press by the opposing party to make our president a one termer by obstructing everything that could be construed as good by even the most extreme portions of our population will continue until the general election this coming fall, something that I don't really understand considering he has caved on everything, including his most recent attack on our civil rights. I now find myself in the position of not having anyone to vote for.

I don't see conditions improving much this year but I could be wrong, really want to be wrong. It may be that people are so tired of the depressed state of things, so tired of the fear that our politicians continue to whip up because a fearful population is easier to control, that they will continue to gather and march in larger and larger groups.

I had just about decided that we were, in fact, a nation of sheep, overfed on fear as well as food. I wondered why the people didn't rise up and say 'enough'. And then they did. 

I don't know what the future, this year, holds for us, if we will see more work coming our way. Sometimes I think maybe this career is at an end, that when people finally have some disposable income, because it's never been the rich that were our client base but the middle class, that we and what we do will have faded from memory.

Regardless, we will continue to create, to make if only for our own enjoyment.

Well, the door is open, welcoming whatever comes, whatever this new year brings.



16 comments:

  1. I've been avoiding thinking about the new year. I couldn't really handle it for the past few months. This post summed up some of what's been stewing in the back of my mind.
    I hope things get better but I'm scared to hope for it because I'm pretty sure they won't.
    Maybe I'm just a pessimist.
    Happy January 1st.

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  2. I agree that politically it's just all so depressing - with no real hope for an end in sight.

    The other day Mike & I were talking about that if we won the lottery we'd commission some special glass from you guys :)

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  3. Boy, did you ever sum it up! I'm trying to be positive, but some times that doesn't even seem appropriate. I'm a Buddhist, so this year, I'm going to work on The Eightfold Path...that's my New Year's resolution. In Buddhism these things are called "practice"...so I don't think I can fail.
    Happy New Year to you and yours!!!

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  4. Happy New Year, what ever it brings, may we over come the bad and enjoy the good.

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  5. wow. that was almost too heavy for my head today. no use hiding from it though. the truth is all around us. and, yes, the political arena sucks right now. i'm not looking forward to this election year.

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  6. Happy New Year to you my dear Texan Blogger.
    A beautiful way to start the new year. the breakfast sounds yummy. An open house would be lovely. We are vegging doing not much of anything, although we ventured out this morning to visit a new "old" church, and a stop by a sisters home.
    While I see your political point, I actually still believe and have much faith in our President, Barack Obama. I do think that he has had a difficult narrow road and pushed so very hard but he has proven himself, to me as well as others.
    Love to you~ look forward to you 2012 writings♥

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  7. I don't think, at least I hope not, that your career is ending. I like to think the middle class will spend again. However, when it comes to politics it does seem a bit barren with regard to having any sort of good person as a leader. I'm afraid I gave up after the fiasco that was Gore/Bush.

    Anyway, there are still people who are good and who are doing their best and I hope we all shall persevere in the coming struggles.

    In this new year I think I will celebrate Solstice as the new year.

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  8. And yes, let's keep our doors open to new opportunities and changes.

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  9. Mimosas for breakfast are my fave and such a nice way to start the new year! Cheers and a Happy New Year!

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  10. Some good thoughts. I only drank mimosas once and returned to bed, for part of the day.

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  11. And over here 2012 means the London Olympics - a project which has this city both excited and overwhelming depressed at the same time.

    The cost of the project is staggering and I am not sure we will really have the great influx of tourists that we are convincing ourselves it will attract.

    But enough of that doom and gloom - there are plenty of other things that I can stand on my soap box about.

    Ellen I sincerely wish you all the best for 2012 and thanks for all your messages of support during 2011.

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  12. I can't do a thing about the politicians...and I can't make the economy better...but I can view my life as fabulous and wonderful and live it to the fullest every day!
    So I create and laugh and love...I snicker at the opposing forces. I refuse to live in fear.
    I like you chose to be open and let the sun shine in.
    Hugging you sweetie
    SueAnn

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  13. I like yours and SueAnn's thinking, about the door being open. It's an inspiring way to look at the New Year, and I'm going to hold mine open too and see what time brings along.

    Happy New Year Ellen ...

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  14. Happy new year, Ellen. I see the pendulum of the polarized atmosphere shifting back towards more conciliation this year. The big snafu around extending the tax benefit taught the junior republicans that they only make themselves look like idiots whe. They treat legislation as if it were a game of poker.

    Maybe it's arbitrary, but I do feel optimistic about the year ahead.

    L'Chaim!

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  15. Well I hope that at the very least you get plenty of decent breakfasts this year :) I'm having to take a lot of joy from the small things these days

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  16. Beautiful art never fades from memory. Think positive, Ellen!

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.