Happy New Year!

I have talked before about how I tend to want to start new things or set new goals in August and September, how it's actually weird to me to do it in January but I do because that's when everyone else is so there are all sorts of tools available right around that time. I think I'm drawn to the August September time because it's a combination of my birthday and back to school marking another chance at a fresh start. But maybe I was Jewish in a past life and I am setting goals around the new year?

I really like the High Holidays on the Jewish calendar. Start with New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and roll on into Yom Kippur. Part of what I like, aside from liking fresh starts and new years, is that those 10 days between the two is a time to reflect and atone for anything you've done that needs forgiveness.

I like that better than the January 1st new year stuff because resolutions are all about you in the future. How can you make yourself better? It's all focused on you and improving you. Atonement is all about reflection on what you actually did that maybe wasn't your best. Then asking for forgiveness from or making amends to those you've wronged. That's hard to do.

Not just the asking forgiveness but the actual reflecting on it part. Thinking about how you've treated others, and then calling attention to those things, and then trying to atone for them? Whew...tough stuff. None of us likes to focus on the times we weren't the best, or even worse, the times we were actually terrible.

But imagine if the world actually had to do something like that. And actually followed through. If every year we all had to sit down and reflect and then make it better. Not the I'm going to work out more, better but the I am sorry I was an asshole when you needed a hand, better. I know that's never going to happen, but I do think the world would be better if we all took a little more responsibility for our actions not from our own point of view but from the perspective of how they affected others.

But...anyway...

Back to the non-Jewish way of celebrating the new year. Looking for new starts and things to do for ME.

I've been trying to figure out how to write more without wallowing in the destruction and misery around us. Because that's just not healthy. I mean, we have to pay attention to what is happening, we have to do the things we can to stop it, we can't pretend like nothing is happening, but also, we can't just ruminate on it all the time. You can't. None of us can without making ourselves miserable. We aren't designed for that, and honestly, we can't give in to the despair like that. I know I'm going to write about it from time to time because I can't help but do so, but I'd like to write about other things that aren't literally life and death and the end of democracy. But still important, like burping and farting.

But because the world is what it is and it's really hard not to just fixate on the latest CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS SHIT moments I've been stuck wanting to write, wanting to write some more light hearted stuff, but coming up blank. So I was thinking this morning that maybe a good rambling blog writing prompt could be found in conversation starters.

You know like the party games that are out there where you draw a card and talk about whatever is on it? Not like Cards Against Humanity cards, but actual conversation prompts. Though maybe Cards Against Humanity might do the same thing...

ANYWAY...

I think I'm going to find a website with conversation starters and test it out over the next few weeks, if it works then I'll buy a pack of cards and use them for however long it works for me. I would guess that they will end up being a mix of nonfiction, actual one sided conversations about the topic and some fiction things that are inspired by the topic. I'd like to say I would only do nonfiction with them, but that's not truthful and I don't want to have to atone for lying to myself on the first day of a brand new year.

Not the first day at least...