Thursday, January 6, 2011

New Beginnings (Again)

bowlingWhen I was a teenager, I bowled in a league. Every Saturday, we’d wake up (relatively) early and go roll a series. Sometimes things were going well; sometimes we’d get a few too many splits. Whenever we’d hit a rough patch, we’d walk up to the scoresheet (you kept your own score in those Neanderthal days) and scratch out a big fat pencil line after the most recent frame to signify that we were now going to “start bowling.”

Sometimes we’d have six or seven pencil scratches in a single 10-frame game. We weren’t shy about our “new beginnings.”

To some extent, I continue to use that philosophy. I look for opportunities to “start fresh.” (Before I go any farther, this is not a prelude to some kind of momentous announcement. In fact, things are going well right now and I hope they’ll continue.)

Here are some of my favorite “starting fresh” points, in no particular order:

  • New Year’s Day
  • Jewish New Year
  • Chinese New Year
  • Beginning of each season
  • First of every month
  • Beginning of school
  • Beginning of school vacation
  • Any day ending in “y”
  • Beginning of each meal
  • Beginning of dessert
  • When the clock chimes at the top of the hour
  • When I click the “new document” button in WORD

How about you? Content with the same ol’, same ol’, or do you crave a fresh beginning?

 

{By the way, you can view my latest fresh beginning here. I just gave my website yet another facelift (Joan Rivers, watch out!).}

 

Alan

15 comments:

Vicki Doudera said...

Alan, we are kindred spirits. One of my favorite and oft-used expressions is, "I"m turning over a new leaf."

Your new site looks good!

Lisa Bork said...

I may crave a fresh beginning, but it's pretty much same old, same old here.

Love the new website. I'm honored to be standing next to you in the Malice photo.

Sue Ann Jaffarian said...

Love the new look to your site.

I start over every night when I go to bed: "Tomorrow, I'm going to eat less, write more, exercise, etc." Sometimes I even remember it all when I wake up.

Darrell James said...

I like your philosophy, Alan. I declare new beginnings all the time. It keeps the outlook positive, and that kind of blind optimism has always worked for me.

ps. The website rocks!

Kathleen Ernst said...

Great website, Alan!

I'm a fan of fresh starts...although if I do so without figuring out what I need to know about old stuff, that fresh start may not last so long. But in any case, we writers always get the fun of starting new from time to time!

Keith Raffel said...

Fresh starts? Just like Sisyphus?

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Sometimes I like fresh starts...and sometimes I just like to keep things the way they are! Not so much a fan of change.

Alan Orloff said...

Vicki - Hey, there's got to be something good under one of those leaves!

Lisa - Yeah. I may talk big, but it's same ol, same ol here too.

Sue Ann - We're so different. I start over every morning.

Darrell - Let's hear it for blind optimism!!!

Kathleen - That's one of the things I like best about writing. Once you're done with something, it's time to move on to something else.

Keith - Didn't Sisyphus play second base for the '52 Mets?

Elizabeth - Not a fan of change? Don't worry, the publishing business isn't changing much :)

Keith Raffel said...

Alan, what are you on? The first year of the Mets was 1962.

Alan Orloff said...

Keith - My bad.

Keith Raffel said...

But Alan, you didn't answer my question. What are you on?

Alan Orloff said...

Keith - I'm high on some fresh beginnings, dude.

Keith Raffel said...

Just-harvested dope? I thought so.

Alan Orloff said...

I'm high on this little thing called life, baby.

Deborah Sharp said...

I've got another ''starting fresh'' point for you: First page of a new notebook. Love it, and love your new website. Kudos!