Blank Pages: An Ode to 2015
Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one. – Brad Paisley
Leave it to the greats of country music to come up with good quotes and compelling metaphors. These words have been shared with me multiple times today – through my “daily quote” emails, friends and Instagram posts. Not that I needed too much motivation to write this post, but I’ll take it as a sure sign that it must be written before midnight.
What a wonderful notion it is, in theory, this idea that a new year opens up a new document, a clean slate, crispy pages begging for beautiful pieces of work, in the form of manuscripts or even doodles perhaps. Yet, though I love the notion, I must poke some holes in it. A new year does signify a new start – at least in a quantifiable sense that follows the order in which for generations we have adhered to for keeping tabs on the passing of time – but that new start is not presented by a reboot of a calendar, nor is it welcomed in a vacuum; it’s hinging 100 percent on whether or not we take on something new, whether or not we change a mindset or do away with tangible (and intangible) things that have been holding us back. It’s contingent upon whether or not we actually do something about it. Regardless of when.
Make a commitment to write your own book and be the hero of your own story, but don’t feel confined to a window of 365 days. All too often New Year Resolutions are crumbled up and tossed just months into a new year because of the extreme pressure we put on ourselves to set them (multiple ones at that!) and then follow them religiously. As any good writer will confess, writer’s block is a thing, and writing well and extensively all 365 days of the year is – while an honorable commitment – not always feasible or productive, and that’s perfectly okay.
Therefore, on the cusp of 2015, I vow not to make specific “resolutions” but rather resolve to follow one simple philosophy: Embark on an Adventure – whether it be a physical, traveling one, a new project, a new friendship, a new language, a new route to work or a new hobby. Whether it lasts a day or 365 and beyond, I hope it’s “a good one.”
Set your own philosophy today and let it guide you. It’s an overall small step in the direction of changing something that can’t really be contained in 365 pages, doing something that will hopefully be so great, it won’t be a matter confined to time.
Wishing you and yours a happy and adventurous New Year!
