LisaCrunick.com

I have always been fascinated by what “other people are doing”.

When I was very young, I found the neighbor’s custom of having black beans and pirogies on New Year’s Eve fascinating.

Many cultures regard the new year as an auspicious time for new beginnings. The Roman god Janus had two faces, one looking forward and the other looking back. We want to usher in good luck, whether it is by eating beans, cleaning the hearth as ancient Brtions did, or simply raising our glasses for a toast, we all like the idea of a fresh start.

Thais have a relatively tradition of visiting nine temples to usher in the new year. Walailak Songsiri, a local anthropologist surmised in the local paper that Thais, while enjoying many modern conveniences, are seeking more spirituality and that visiting nine temples in a day, gives the illusion of getting the job done, but wouldn’t it better to slow down and really be with one’s own thoughts at one temple?

Americans are not alone in wanting it all, now.

Each temple serves a unique purpose, Wat Pho is noted for giving happiness and serenity, while Wat Arun represents prosperity, another one is for victory, and on it goes. The temples are really busy, too busy for enjoyment, according to the temple keepers.

Here, the newspaper had a full page on Horoscopes for 2008. I didn’t see a word about dieting or gyms, but lots of information on what the nightclubs were offering.

Not a word on New Year’s resolutions. How refreshing!!!

See you in the New Year!!!!

I know all about relaxation. I do it everyday.

The sixty-some mile an hour winds in a cold-dark house were too much for me! I would drift into that delicious state just before sleep and BOOM, something hard would hit something equally stubborn and my body would jolt, without moving, from that point just before sleep. Oh good, I would note, the huge trees around the house are still standing.

And then I would drift again and almost be asleep and CRACK, I would hear a branch fall and note to myself, thank you, we are still safe. And so it went, until I finally fell asleep.

When I assessed the neighborhood in the morning I had good reason to be nervous. An entire tree fell and was blocking the street just above our house. A neighbor up the hill lost an entire roof.

After two days of listening to a battery operated radio and repeatedly walking up the street to find that one elusive sweet spot, in the whole neighborhood, where the cell phones work, we are now hooked back into all of the of conveniences of electricity. We have heat, all of the phones work, and I am online again.

Yes!!!!! Now, I can get back to work!!! The Seattle storm of 2006 is now a memory in my house and I am so thankful as the temperature has dropped to 32 degrees tonight. There are still many households without power. I wish them all a speedy return to the world of lights and heat.