Where to Begin? – #1LinerWeds

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Lately, I have been surrounded by messages about beginnings. Many of the blog authors I follow published a “looking back / looking ahead” post. We began a new fiscal year at work. We/they began a new business year at AIIM International, the first in six years in which I am not on the Board. We swore in and continue to swear at a new Congress in Washington, DC. The regular NFL season crashed to an end (for me) and the playoffs began. The non-conference basketball games ended for the college teams I follow, and conference play began. My dental insurance has begun a new coverage year; hence I am off to the dentist later today.

Despite all of this, I chose not to focus on looking back and looking ahead. I resist the notion that January 1^st defines my accomplishments or my plans. However, two things have caused me to think of beginnings in more general terms.

One – I recently discovered the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic. They are an alternative rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to the No Facilities research department, a.k.a. Wikipedia, they formed in 1995. That was when I was listening to country music, so I missed them. I heard this song at the bar and searched for it in SoundHound; I found the haunting tone to be soothing.

Two – Ivon Prefontaine published a blog post about New Beginnings. I’ve been following Ivon for a long time. He’s one of the people I follow whose writing almost always makes me think.

I don’t put a lot of faith in random connections, OK, maybe I do. Finding these two things within a week of each other made me start thinking about transitions. Not so much beginnings, but how the cycle of endings and beginnings continues throughout our lives, until…well, let’s not go there.

As you might know, I began a series of endings a couple of months ago. I note each one as it comes, but I’m not bothered by their passing. As the song says:

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”

350 words into a One-Liner – I think it’s closing time. If you’re not familiar with the song, give a listen.

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. And, given the time of the year, it’s also part of Just-Jot-January. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

The gallery is another bit of random stuff from an ordinary day in and around our place.

Maddie behind one of the gates that keeps her from bothering the cats.

Hi MuMu – yes, I’ve come to brush you.

I wanted to take MiMi’s picture, but she buried her face.

Sunset.

Maddie is pointing at something.

No one is going to steal that peanut from him up there.

Maddie thinks there are intruders out there.

MiMi is trying to get comfortable.

“You’re not going to sit here, are you?”

MiMi likes to be upside down.

“I like the sun when it warms up my belly.”

I think she’s checking to see if my laptop is on the desk.

“Hi there. Is it time to get up? I mean, is dinner ready?”

Someone likes the afternoon sun.