The Cold Start

Welcome to December.

We're at the home stretch here. In less than thirty days, there will be a new year for us to do with what we like. I've always had it out for new years. Mostly because of the complete arbitrariness of the whole thing. The Romans laid the foundation for the calendar cycle that we have today, but it could have been anyone. The names of the months could be different. The amount of days in each could be, too. And, most importantly, the start of the year could be sometime in March or June or August.

It's funny how much stock we place in it though, especially considering what we do for it. The celebration is one thing, but the social norm I've always found most fascinating is the new year's resolution. It is the idea that despite our failed attempts in the past and a lack of discipline, we can somehow find the strength to give up a vice or gain a virtue simply because there's a larger starting gun.

This is a prime example of what I meant when I talked about waiting for permission to live our lives.

The reality is, obviously, that you don't need a symbolic fresh start to change your life. In fact, most resolutions fail horribly because they exist only at a surface level. You could change your life today, this minute, if you wanted to. You don't really need a large holiday or fireworks to make it happen.

Something else will happen in less than 30 days. We will have known each other for six months. Half of a year. Some of you I've known for longer, of course, but if we're going to measure out our lives month to month, most of you will have been in 2% of my life. It doesn't sound like much, but think about how dramatically you've impacted my life, how much you've changed each other. And if you're really concerned about racking up large numbers - stick with me until I'm 80 and you will have been in 72% of my life.

Now is a time for thinking about how far we've come and how far still we have left to travel with each other. Think about how much you know about each other and the vast realm of things you still don't know. There is still so much left to explore.

In less than a month, there will be a new year waiting for us to attack it with gusto. But who says we have to wait that long to attack?