#2 in the blog carnival started by The Other Mother.
New. New things are exciting, entertaining, sometimes frightening, and often challenging.
Last summer, I started something new. I went back to school. Nearly 20 years after getting my “B.A. in absolutely nothing (Liberal Arts)” I realized I needed to pick up a few more classes before I could apply to a Master’s program. Since that time, I have taken Literature classes (new), Microbiology (new), and linguistics/storytelling (both new). I also took a Math class (first one I successfully completed since high school), a Developmental Psychology class (mostly new), and a Child Heath and Nutrition class (not new information, but first course in that subject).
My children, who have been experiencing “new” things all their lives (we all do, as we grow up), find it amusing that I have to study so much, even in the topics I know pretty well. They are bright, and often don’t need to study outside of school (though with 30 hours in the building each week, they really get almost as much study time as I do), so are perhaps a little spoiled. Still, they understand how important it is to stretch and reach for their very best… and sometimes, in trying new things, they fail. It doesn’t feel good when that happens, but they definitely know what it feels like to be doing something new.
What other new things await us? Well, the climate is changing. We aren’t sure, from year to year, what plants in the garden will be successful. Every winter and summer sees one plant or another fail, and others start to grow. We are learning to keep more foul weather gear on hand as our winters become more extreme, and learning also how to keep the house cool with shades and drapes in the warmer summers.
The world is changing. After nearly 30 years of U.S. saber-rattling, the new administration is at least coming in to the office with a stated intent of mending fences and building bridges. The “climate” politically therefore is changing, and we are faced with new possibilities — and will also have new challenges. With new people in the various offices, policies are likely to change in many areas, and we will need to learn how to adjust.
We are changing. Today is a new day. Tomorrow will be new again. Today I think new thoughts, and tomorrow will be exposed to new ideas. Today I have new chances to do good things (and to make mistakes). Tomorrow will be a chance for even more. Today I can learn a new skill and tomorrow still another.
What’s new?
Just about everything.
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