2013
It is upon us. A new year. A clean slate. A fresh start. We survived the Mayan apocalypse and the last night of the year’s gin-tonic massacre.
But what is in store for 2013? Every year we tend to believe that so much will happen. “This year will be the best I ever had.” Only to conclude twelve months later that it was just one more year. It’s up to us to make the new year better than the last one — better than everything before. It’s a human affliction to believe in change without changing ourselves, or our own behavior. And I’m not talking big stuff, like Obama did five years ago. I’m just sitting here, thinking about small ideas and the little things I could do to nudge my fate in the right direction. But overblown spiel aside: is it really so hard to think a little more about your actions and how you could help the new year hold something in store for you?
Yes. It is fucking hard.
If it wasn’t, everyone would simply go out and do it. But it isn’t that easy. The hardest part is motivating yourself. At least that’s my big problem. But that’s about to change. New year, new job, new city — that’s what’s at stake. This blog is my project, a sketchbook of my thoughts. And if you’ve read this far, you already know they don’t follow ordered paths. But wouldn’t it be boring if you knew the end to every story? I betcha.
So, feel free to follow along and see if the odds are in my favor. And if I’m lucky, maybe you’ll get a little inspired along the way.
The sky is grey, and the last remnants of yesteryear, swept away by moving to Berlin, are washed out in the rain. Now I’m sitting here in a small room in my new apartment, far away from my old home in the cozy Ruhrgebiet. I arrived four weeks ago but haven’t really settled in since — maybe it’s because of the empty apartment surrounding me. Settling in is no easy feat to pull off, especially when you only have a backpack and a weekender’s worth of stuff. But on the other hand, it’s quite liberating — almost like a blank canvas waiting to be covered with your imagination. And imagination is everywhere when you come to Berlin. Every nook and cranny is filled with possibilities, and a single subway ride gives you more ideas than you’ll ever be able to bring to life.
At least that’s the common talk.
But as with every saying, there’s a truth at its core waiting to be discovered. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to discover Berlin, but I can honestly say I’m hooked. Starting fresh in a new city is no ordinary situation. Everything is new. Many things are different. You get to know lots of people with fresh thoughts for you to absorb. And I am in the thick of it. I am curious how this turns out!
Happy New Year!