Sunday, January 01, 2012

The semi-obligatory New Year post

2011:  I lost a lot of weight (on purpose).  Lots of neat hikes with Mark and Irma in summer and fall.  My cousin Frankie died - third year in a row for losing family.  Pay cuts, lay-offs and general feelings of insecurity at work.  Moved to a new room at work (from 15 to 10).  Third and final run for dept. chair.  Revert Conference in October, White House in November.  Christmas bird count.  Lunar eclipse in December (again!) Osama bin Laden gone.  Horrible earthquake/tsunami in Japan.  Poor economy all around.  "Arab Spring".  Parents both retired.  Kind of a general anxiety/worry feeling this year.

I don't know what to want or wish for in 2012, but I would like the fear, anger, worry, and general negative vibes that permeate the world right now to subside.  I would like joy, peace, stability.


3 comments:

Zain said...

Peace, yes, especially inner peace.

But something that has been wandering in my head for quite some time, frequently;

"Surely in Allah's remembrance do the hearts find peace".
- Quran, 13:28

Carol said...

Beautiful photo! And it was nice to read your "year-end review".

I like the verse Zain quoted. May we remember and know peace.

Zain said...

I just read something contextual (re: New Year) and very interesting, and since it involves mentioning of a bird I thought it would be adequate to post it here on your blog:

Ah! O crow, give up this life and live anew!
In view of God's changes cast away your life!
Choose the new, give up the old,
For each single present year is better than three past.

- Rumi, Masnavi-e-Ma'anavi, Book 5

The complete poem is very interesting, especially the last two paragraphs with one mentioning Resurrection, quite profound, easily found online, in fact just posting these last two paragraphs, here goes:


You have already seen hundreds of resurrections
Occur every moment from your origin till now;
One from the inorganic state to the vegetive state,
From the vegetive state to the animal state of trial;
Thence again to rationality and good discernment;
Again you will rise from this world of sense and form.
Ah! O crow, give up this life and live anew!
In view of God's changes cast away your life!
Choose the new, give up the old,
For each single present year is better than three past.