That Time of Year

Posted by Brad Osborne on December 31, 2021 · 26 Comments 

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“It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.”

~ Lao Tzu.

“People like us who believe in physics know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

~ Albert Einstein

Time has always fascinated me. We measure it in astounding lengths. We measure unfathomable vastness in terms of how far light can travel in a year. Or measure computing speed in nanoseconds. Since the dawn of man, we have taken the yearly cycle of our planet around the Sun and divided it into a socially accepted standard of divisions both great and small. And yet, we have all had moments that seemed like eternity. Lapses where our perceived construct falls apart. It is a wonderous thing “time”.

And in this strange arc that keeps everything from happening at once, I have always found New Year’s an amazing moment in time. In the passing of a mere second, we shift our expectations onto a world that has changed in no way except for the last number of the years we have counted. Yet, we always see such hope and restoration at the start of a New Year. Somehow, what happened yesterday is profoundly in the past and tomorrow holds every hope and dream possible. It is like the world is baptized and all the bad of the past years has been washed away. We see a clean slate devoid of any erasures that could muddy the image we hope to draw. And I am hoping beyond hope, that the passing of this year, washes away every regret or fear you may have ever held. And the picture you draw on your clean slate is full of health and happiness for you in every way. You have encouraged me to create, given me a kind ear, emboldened me to write with less fear, shared my triumphs, and ignored my failures. From you, I have received a sense of community, learned a greater empathy, and improved, not only as a writer, but as a person. You are family, friends, followers, and readers alike. On my clean slate, the first thing I draw is all of you. For if you are not a part of 2022, I may lose the only reason to count my years.

With one love to all, my humble thanks and wishes for a great New Year!

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Filed under General · Tagged with 2022, clean slate, construct, dreams, Einstein, future, hope, Lao Tzu, moments, New Year, past, possibilities, present, time, wishes