2006
January 1, 2006
It appears a particularly blank page this morning. I know it’s just another day but it is different from other days, particularly this year, the first in our newly adopted country. I can’t help but take stock this morning, acknowledge progress, accept defeat, hope for the future and I am also inclined toward making some resolutions. I’m not a big one for New Year’s resolutions, although I did stop smoking cigarettes on New Year’s Eve 1999 and it has held thus far. It’s a short list; pay attention to and love my family, eat less and better, restart yoga practice, study German and do something creative every day. There are lots of other practical things I want to accomplish this year, but they all flow from one of the above …
Capsule of Cologne … New Year’s Eve. The city slowed to a halt at midday yesterday. The street emptied, just a few fathers like myself, pushing strollers through the otherwise quiet streets of the Viertel. It was very cold early in the day, then near dusk the air warmed for a few hours, a hot pocket sandwiched between the otherwise chilly layers of winter … As soon as it was fully dark fireworks began popping here and there, building in frequency and volume until midnight when the sky outside our windows exploded in purple and red and yellow, rockets flying by, spectators on rooftops with flashlights and long-stemmed flutes toasting the New Year … There was optimism in the air last night here in Cologne, you could feel it.
It appears a particularly blank page this morning. I know it’s just another day but it is different from other days, particularly this year, the first in our newly adopted country. I can’t help but take stock this morning, acknowledge progress, accept defeat, hope for the future and I am also inclined toward making some resolutions. I’m not a big one for New Year’s resolutions, although I did stop smoking cigarettes on New Year’s Eve 1999 and it has held thus far. It’s a short list; pay attention to and love my family, eat less and better, restart yoga practice, study German and do something creative every day. There are lots of other practical things I want to accomplish this year, but they all flow from one of the above …
Capsule of Cologne … New Year’s Eve. The city slowed to a halt at midday yesterday. The street emptied, just a few fathers like myself, pushing strollers through the otherwise quiet streets of the Viertel. It was very cold early in the day, then near dusk the air warmed for a few hours, a hot pocket sandwiched between the otherwise chilly layers of winter … As soon as it was fully dark fireworks began popping here and there, building in frequency and volume until midnight when the sky outside our windows exploded in purple and red and yellow, rockets flying by, spectators on rooftops with flashlights and long-stemmed flutes toasting the New Year … There was optimism in the air last night here in Cologne, you could feel it.
posted by Berlinbound at 8:59 AM
5 Comments:
Happy New Year to you and your family, Richard! 2006 will be a year of new beginnings for all of you.
Happy New Year! I look forward to hearing more in the coming year about how things are going with your move and settling in. It's nice to read about how others going through this process are handling it.
Oh my goodness I could just weep. How I long to live in Germany, the home of my ancestors.That pic down below taken out the kitchen window is exactly what I dream about.I wonder if I'll ever get there even as a tourist!
Happy New Year.
Hi Richard, I've recently been reading your site. Lovely account of new years eve. Looking forward to more readings daily. ~ Jen
It's that optimism that makes New Years so spectacular in Germany. This was my second year experiencing it here and I want to do it forever. When those fireworks light up my entire spirit soars with new hope.
Best to you and your family.
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