I want to wish a Happy New Year to everyone in 2021. Last year was a challenging year that had, for me, some serendipitous silver linings. On the challenging side, Covid-2 and Covid-2-related measures made it emotionally very hard. Many of us have lost loved ones to Covid-2 and other diseases and dealing with the losses was tougher than usual (no goodbyes and no hugs add a pounding void to the pain.) On the serendipitous side, digital connections that were growing slowly due to the business of life had room to blossom, and I was fortunate to see friendships, work ties, and projects be born and strengthened.
I choose today to celebrate because, as a child and with my own children, I’ve celebrated the legend of the Three Wise Men— Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar—on January 6th. (They are also called The Magi, which is a word that I find almost as special as “serendipity,” my very favorite one. It conjures up images of knowledge, enchantment, and transformation.) These men were said to be priests and scholars from different corners of the world who brought gifts to the manger in Christian legend.
The gifts are most often described as gold, frankincense, and myrrh as symbols of earth, heaven, and death (frankincense and myrrh were used in embalming). I choose to see them as symbols of wisdom and achievement, enjoyment, and healthy aging: gold is the symbol of the fiftieth wedding anniversary—an achievement not for its duration but for its perseverance and adaptability—, frankincense of recovery and healing, myrrh of rejuvenation. Beauty and well-being are a key part of life. But the one aspect that I truly celebrate today is learning. I truly believe life is worth living because we can learn.
I remember a supposedly humorous sign in my high school library that read “Read plenty and you’ll be a wise corpse.” I get it. Learning alone may seem like a Sisyphean task. But, just in itself, it can be a profound experience, as Quevedo states in his sonnet: “Among few books yet learned ones, I live in conversation with the dead, I listen with my eyes to their minds.” And when you share it with others, learning becomes profoundly soulful. For me, learning and sharing what I learn is a magical reason for life.
In learning with others and sharing my learning, I have forged the most amazing friendships, several during our challenging 2020, and for that I am grateful today and I celebrate.
May 2021 bring us new and exciting learning that we can share with one another to better ourselves, our communities, and our environment.
