Life really isn't linear

73) 2024 in NY is Cold Cold Cold!

Hey folks, nice to see you all again. 

A number of years ago I went to this talk, there were interesting people there from “shamans” and “mystics” and people talking about healing crystals. How much of that people believe or don’t believe isn’t really my business, but one huge takeaway I got from that talk, that still sticks with me is, how the date you are born is the start of the new year for you. 

For example, I was born July 06, 1981. I’m 42 now. If you just follow the timeline of when I was born, then in all honesty, 2024 hasn’t started for me yet, as I have not completed my full calendar year of 2023 yet, from the date I was born. From this point of view,  someone born on December 31 1981, literally is going to take 364 days to actually experience his/her 2024. 

I found this premise so fascinating, and it also lets me sigh a bit of relief, knowing that I didn’t give into the *mimetic compulsion/desire to just shoot off blog posts before the close of 2023. Because, honestly in a sense 2023 is still in existence for me. 

*Mimetic desire is a topic I recently have been exploring. Go to the third paragraph from the bottom for more details. (Or just keep on reading and you’ll come across it).

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Also, in all truthfulness, it’s not that I’m having a harder time celebrating a close to a calendar year…although maybe I am??? Even if I am, the reality is, how my year closes or what I receive in gifts or anything, pales in comparison to my responsibility as a provider to my family. And with that, I suppose is my best excuse (if I’m willing to give you one) as to why I haven’t been writing as of late. 

 Whether you believe in the linear calendar or not, here is a neat-o, Happy New Year Video!

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I don’t have the best excuse. I find writing a paradoxical activity. It is done in isolation. I think even well-known/popular writers are sometimes left wondering about the impact of their written word.  People that love to write and are good at it are both blessed and cursed. It’s a habit that is incredibly hard to shake. 

But, just so you know - while I wasn’t writing, I was cranking out my final graduate school course in Literacy. I have now obtained my second masters degree and have increased my credentials as a teacher. With that comes some additional pay (which clearly doesn’t hurt). I also find myself at a juncture in time where I want to look at the road-map for myself and my future as a pedagogue. 

We already went over the holidays. It was a very busy time, with lots of gift giving by me. I also spent a good part of my break cleaning out my dad’s house. There is still too much stuff in there, but it’s nice to get a start. I was able to locate some books I read from some years back that will be chronicled in my list of books I read. This project is still alive and well, even though where I last left off on that project was here Digest of the books I read in the Summer of 2023 (PT V - BONUS!).

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I still got some quality reading in, one book in particular that totally blew me away (and took me a bit longer to finish than I anticipated) was *Wanting: on Mimetic Desire  by Luke Burgis. I didn’t finish reading it until just after the new year, but I enjoyed the first half so much, it became a popular holiday present I bought for friends and teacher colleagues. This book will have a more thorough review coming up, and will also most likely go in the next iteration of books I have given the most.

The tenor of this post is a little different. I don’t want to overwhelm you (or myself) with hyper-links. If anything, the break from writing was a welcome break, as it has given me perspective on how I really want this blog to look. At times it has been a place to write to fill a void. But, when that void gets filled, when comes next?

I suppose I need to further distinguish the void or lack of void, and make sure I’m adequately satiating my need to write. Some habits are easier to kick than others. Then again some habits are healthier to kick than others… 

Until next time!

-JPJ