nouveau new*

Everything’s a race.

We’re all familiar with the tale of the tortoise and the hare. We can relate in one way or another to either character- the overzealous, cocky hare or the ambitious and diligent tortoise- each with the red ribbon of victory set in their gaze.

New Year’s Day is a most sobering experience, both literally and figuratively. Once you’ve settled your plans, popped cheap champagne, shared a countdown kiss, and finally slipped out of your divine and dapper clothing into dreamless sleep the next morning awaits, hanging over the previous night’s celebration like a Dickensian ghost. Resolutions are made- some shared, others locked away in the recesses of childlike journals or private thoughts- and weigh heavily on the months to follow. Once made public, there’s the inevitable struggle to come up with one stronger, better, faster resulting in several proxy resolution wars that clamour for attention. Who plans on making the most drastic changes? Who wants to make the most money? Lose the most weight? Love more? Argue less? The options are always endless, and yet comfortingly repetitive in the endearing fashion reserved for every calendar year.

In each New Year even being born comes down to competition. At precisely midnight Toronto, and possibly Canada’s, first ’09 baby slid into existence taking her first breath just seconds after 2008 took its last. Her birth was anticipated sooner than January so, in a way, she’s already falling just a little short of the cascade of expectations that will frame her childhood. The two other new little GTA additions didn’t quite make the cut and may or may not spend the rest of their birthdays being gently and glibly reminded of it.

It’s an aide memoire that silver and bronze are reserved dusty spaces on shelves out of eye-level, and this year coming out on top seems to be the theme. As tired and/or cliché as the thought might be, life is a race full of the kinds of the hurdles and challenges your parents warn you about even though they sometimes seem to trip on them along the way. We’re told 2009 is a new page, a clean slate, a fresh start and in some ways we begrudgingly agree.

Find your marks.



*this post has a second home.