With the new year comes a sense of optimism and an opportunity for change, growth, and new directions. While I was contemplating the advent of the Lunar New Year and the inherent changes that come with it, (I.E. “out with the old and in with the new”) I was reminded of my great grandfather, Pa.
A child of the Great Depression, Pa was a simple, down to earth man who knew the value of a hard days work and the importance of seeing the value in even the most common of things. He was the one who taught me that there is no such thing as “away”. You might discard an object, but where would it actually go? Clearly he was ahead of his time as this is a concept that is rapidly becoming commonplace, but for him it wasn’t just conceptual, it was a lifestyle.
Pa knew that even the scraps of the day could be put to work and could become beautiful. Ma and Pa had a compost bin that supplied them and a few neighbors with the most amazing, rich soil. Pa could grow anything in the soil that was nothing more than scraps and bit of time and patience. Because nothing was ever thrown away, everything could have a second chance to be beautiful.
And what does this have to do with the new year?
For me it is a challenge not to walk away from the past year like a chapter that has closed. The past year was a chaotic one, full of change and upheaval. I have no idea why things happened the way they did, but like Pa, I can put it all out on the compost pile and know that in time, beauty will come out of it.
May you all have a happy, healthy new year!
Great post! And Happy Lunar New Year to everyone on here (chuc mung nam moi if anyone Vietnamese happens to read this). (:
You’re Vietnamese!? I’m sorry but we don’t allow those on here…LOL! Just kidding. I love diversity. We need more of that in our blogging team methinks.
Similarly I’ve always loved the phrase ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ and try to live by it, and great outlook, just gotta keep your chin up!