The year is about to end and I am here writing my blog. I am with Haiko in Amsterdam after having spent x-mas with his family in Maastricht. I talked to my parents who are in Ubatuba, Brazil, with blue skies and 36 degrees at 5 pm. It is really amazing, I have never spent a new years eve there without at least some rain. Here it is 5 degrees, but it is not raining.
I tried to call my grandma the whole day. I was finally able to reach her now. She was very happy, traveling with 5 friends. As she put it herself, a group of girls ranging form 70 to 80.
My grandma, 83 years old, goes to the gym everyday, takes modern art classes, uses the net, and travels with her friends. She told me they had reserved a table in a hotel restaurant for 10pm. They will take two cabs, so that they can enjoy the night and have champagne.
Then I hung up, quite moved by her youth. And sitting here in the apartment of my brother in law, with not much desire to go out, i got moved thinking of the joviality of my grandmother. I had watched a program about Benazir (the other side of the story), read about the crisis in Kenya, and at the nicest moment of the day I did some yoga, and watched le cirque de soleil on tv.
The year before last year I spent New Year in a buddhist temple in NY. It was different. I had never been there. I did not want to be at a party. Haiko was in Holland, my family in Brazil,and my friends spread around the world. And I went to a buddhist temple. It was nice, I heard legends from Bhutan, and we meditated for peace.
We will go out soon... walk around the Jordaan quarter. We will watch the fireworks. And I wish I could meditate for peace. But with so many explosions this is a bit hard. Apparently they are to scare the evil spirits; to me, a bit ironic.
I find our new years, that do not follow the moon or seasons, a bit arbitrary... but I like the atmosphere of peoples' new resolutions, and hopes.
I finish this year thinking of my grandma's joviality. I finish this year thinking of the monk in that buddhist temple two years ago.
To each sound of the gong he said: positive thoughts for those we love...bong... positive thougths for those we dont know..bong... positive thougths for those we dislike....bong... and positive thoughts for all there is....
Happy New Year!
1 comment:
I agree that our new year is a bit arbitrary. I sometimes tend to call it "the number changing festival" or something like that. I won't, however, deny that it is a nice occasion. For me, it's a party with friends, which often is quite necessary after the days spent with family (Christmas) :)
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