dancing into the new year

2005 have been a year of many new endeavors for me, where I - to a varying degree of success and competency - wrote, acted, danced, travelled and skied. I did certain things which I would have never dreamed of ever doing in the previous year.

I guess that's the wonderful thing about new years for me - it teases us with the possibility, presents us with the opportunity and eventually gives us the means to start something new.

I do not know what will the new year have in store for me, but one thing for sure, I am going to be way busier then.

With that in mind, I am not wishing for any particular thing to happen to me, or for someone to do something for me, or to be able to go someplace sometime soon; no, I won't wish for those kind of stuffs.

All I pray for the new year is for the ability to find some tranquilty, some solitude and calmness in the midst of all the things I will have to do next year.

Some people like the feeling of being swept away by the unceasing and torential currents of their daily routines. They make themselves so worked up with their work and fill their heads with worries so much so that they cannot think of anything else. Indeed, I reckon that these people know of no other way live their lives.

But then again, I am making a grave simplification here; some people do not have the choice to refuse that kind of lifestyle, and some chooses it because it makes them feel good about themselves.

I guess it depends on what you wish to accomplish at the end of it all, as soon as the dust settles down or the sound fades off. Besides, I don't pretend to be an expert at living life to the fullest myself.

That is not to suggest that one should take life trivially or carelessly; we need to be on our toes and to look where we are stepping next. But sometimes we tend to look ahead too much or to where we are going to step next too often, that we forget to take in the scenery around us.

Of course, it is easier said than done. It is all too simple for us to be swept away by the tides of our lives and to eventually lose sight of the shore. Certain things are just beyond our control and reckoning.

Naturally, all of us will have our busy days, days when our minds are occupied to its brim, days that we just wish would hurry up and end as soon as possible.

But even then, I believe that we have the choice to make some space for some moments of calmness and clarity. Moments to recollect our thoughts, re-examine them and cast them in a new light.

To be able to savour those moments would truly mean that we stand a good chance to overcome almost everything that life might throw at us. And to be able to do that in turn implies that you have the great ability to cope.

It is not an easy thing to do actually, coping with stuffs. It requires a paradoxical mix of the strength and resilience of the mind coupled with its flexibility and dexterity.

One must be strong enough to grasp incoming challenges at its hand but graceful enough to dance with it according to our whims.

But once you have mastered that ability - the ability to cope - I am certain that you will be able to glide through life a little bit better.

For the ability to cope is for me personally, a sure sign of wisdom.

Happy New Year 2006 everyone!