new year's and silly rituals
a tradition is nothing more than a habit, really. we are creatures of habit, and we tend to be drawn to things that are familiar to us, as we fear change.
most people have their traditions or rituals over the holidays. and they do them only because they've always done them. my mom has always given us a pair of socks for christmas. 2006 was no different (thankfully, the socks are new!).
on new year's eve for the past five years, my brothers and i and our families and some friends meet at one of their homes and go for a mountain bike ride on some local trails. whether it snows or rains, we still do it. we insist to newcomers to this silly ritual that the ride will be a relaxed, fun ride, but it never is. my brothers are both type-A and they're always trying to impress each other. so it always ends up with them taking off, full-speed ahead, with me trudging along at a relaxed, fun pace. everyone (except me) gets caught up in this macho-fest. last night was no different. this time, there was no snow, but the trails were muddy and slippery.
halfway through the ride, we stop at a little picnic area and indulge in another silly ritual of downing a shot of scotch. i'm not a drinker, but i have a small sip. after this, the ride continues at a pace that is far from relaxed. the ride was reasonably fun for me, because i didn't get caught up in the speed-fest. i also took a short cut home with a couple of our friends.
why do we partake in this rituals/traditions? is the need for familiarity that strong?
oh i forgot to mention that after we got back to the house and cleaned up, the dinner was a sushi fest! this is one tradition that i can certainly support!
happy new year!
posted by owen at 10:13 AM
2 Comments:
We expect too much when it comes to Christmas and New Years. I always have this idea that I'm supposed to be at a huge party, like a ball, with glitter falls at the stroke of midnight. It goes back to watching too many movies as a kid! I'm usually a little sad every new years, but this one was different. I dressed up in a black dress, and so did my daughter. We watched movies and downloaded a million songs, dancing to all of them like crazy folk. (I was so sore a couple of days later) We screamed outside and shot the gun at midnight. I think I'm liking the fact that my children are older now. It's becoming more like a party than a lonely time...
We went sliding this weekend and then to Tim's for hot chocolate, and Jason and I couldn't get over how the 5 of us sat together and discussed things. My boys are 10 and my daughter is 12, and it seems like they're wise beyond their years. Sitting together, I had a glimpse of the future. What it's gonna be like from here on out....
For anyone out there who wonders if there's ever gonna be a day when you feel like yourself again after having kids...guess what? That day comes...
Happy New Year!!!
xoxox Phyll
here is a comment you word stealer
Post a Comment
<< Home