In Contemplation of the New Year

I have devoted today entirely to being unproductive at work. I have sucessfully done no more than 5 minutes worth of real work. Does this make me feel guilty? Interesting question. No. There are icicles hanging from the roof, the sun sparkles on them, the cold preserves them. There is a foot of snow on the ground, and many lovely mountains of snow made by plows. There are noisy rambunctious youths playing on them. I don't think I feel guilty. Instead of working, I am watching the red color seep out of a Lemon Zinger tea bag, slowly diffusing into a mug of hot, microwaved water. Eventually it will be tea. After I stir it. For now all the color, representing flavor, is content to stay in one red circle at the bottom of the mug. Does this make me a bad person? No, I don't think so. In 10 years (actually, never mind 10 years, replace that with "right now", "never"), no one will care how many tertiary flakes were found at Site 25GD__, but I had a fair day today, which may matter to my future sanity. I think I made perhaps one or two other people's days brighter, in sending thoughtful or encouraging messages that were long overdue. Who can say how much that might matter in the long run? I learned new things today, about medieval lamps. I don't see how that makes me a bad person.
And I've spent time in contemplation today, something I certainly don't do enough of. I'd be a far worse person if I didn't. I am praying, today, for peace, love, and hope for the New Year. I always do, every year. Sometimes I think, at the end of the year, that it's been one more year without peace, love, and hope, and that there will only be one more year without peace, love, and hope. But that's not true at all. That's looking at the big picture, not the small picture. And the Small Picture is infinitely more important. Everyone knows that the Big Picture is made up of all the Small Pictures. And in the Small Picture, in my one, small life, from time to time, in some small moments, I knew Peace, Love, and Hope, and I knew it infinitely and eternally, and almost perfectly.

Next year will be better. Tomorrow will be better. Everything will be fine. We will live, we will create peace, we will love each other, and hope for more peace and love still to come. It's going to be all right.

There, I've stirred it and it's tea now. It tastes good.