Ocean Liner

I retract my endorsement of Airborne.

Just kidding. I just am not feeling as better as I’d like, especially as it comes up to New Year's Eve tomorrow.

Although I remember the last several New Year's, which was a new development, none of them have been particularly outstanding. Last year, I was on the roof of a friend’s condo in SF, watching the fireworks over the Bay – which was wonderful – with my soon to be ex – which was less wonderful, but a great attempt at shoe-horning romance into a moment.

This year’s remains to be seen, with a party with some local friends’ bands, and some dances out in SF that could be a raucous good time. But I’m not feeling particularly raucous at the moment. But things change. And this is the season for it.

I was reminded this morning as I was writing my Morning Pages about a conversation I’d had with my friend Luke on our Misfit Christmas. We were talking about the economy, and he was saying that people’s expectations are that things can change on a dime, in an instant, immediately show results. Whereas the more accurate truth is that change is like the course of an ocean liner. It.does.not.stop. when you want it to. (See: Titanic) ;P

He drew his finger in a long, wide arc along the coffee shop table and said that as an ocean liner begins to change course, it continues to look like it’s still going along its original path, it continues out into the treacherous water, slowly evening a turn-about. It is not instantaneous, and it is not immediately obvious or apparent.

Which means, that for anything that does change in this manner, like most things in this world, it requires patience.

This morning, I was reflecting that the change of the year, a sudden WHAM BANG HELLO NEW YEAR!, might not equate with the reality of the subtlety of change. But, personally, I feel it. The planet changing its course in the cosmos, slowly slingshotting back around. The impending change of the year has begun – it’s not one moment at midnight when Dick Clark leads us all in some bedazzled primal chant. It’s more covert, and ultimately more kind than that.

Changes that happen all at once are called emergencies. Lucky for us, life is not always in the habit of confronting us with change in these violent manners.

I’m not sure of my entire point here, but I suppose I’m attempting to provide a bit of cosmic comfort, reinforcement of the positive course I am on and perhaps you are on, and g-d willing the economy is on! Or maybe I’m just being wistful at the close of a year, which, of course, it also is.

I was 14 and at a new year’s dance and a girl friend of mine was in near hysterics. She said that the change of new year’s always gave her anxiety. I got a text just now in which a friend asked me if I didn’t also have the new year’s depression.

Lucky for me, no. I’ve bought my ticket on this ocean liner. Cast in my lot. Threw down the gauntlet. Thrown in my hat. I am down with you, Ocean Liner. I am concerned that I don’t know where you’re going once you make your change in course, but I'm also mildly thrilled to see where you will go. To call on the spirit of “Must be present to Win” and “Just Row,” I will make my best attempt to stand like Rose at the bow of the ship and throw my arms open unto the unknown.