CREEK ROAD GANG
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Thoughts from the Editor:
January 2010
Here it is: the start of a new year.
As a kid, I didn't like New Year's Day. It didn't have anything special to it that I could see. Sure, my parents would stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve so they'd know when the new year started, not that it made much of a difference that I could tell. We kids weren't allowed to stay up that late, and it couldn't be any big deal for my parents either, because they could stay up until midnight any old time they wanted.
What good was New Year's Day? We had no special ceremonies except for some parades on black-and-white television, but parades weren't very interesting to me if I wasn't actually there, with my heart beating in time to the big bass drum. New Year's Day at our house had no special food, no New Year's decorations, no New Year's candy. Of course, there was that one song, but I couldn't understand what some of the words meant, and how many times could you sing "Auld Lang Syne" anyway?
No, it was a pretty boring holiday, upon which I was also saddled with the unpleasant task of making New Year's Resolutions. So far as I could tell, New Year's Resolutions gave people an opportunity to admit what they'd been doing wrong in the year that had ended, and to work on fixing it in the coming year. I didn't like making up my list; I heard enough from grown-ups about what areas I needed to improve, and had no interest in dwelling on those matters any more than I had to.
In later years, when I was in high school, two friends and I would spend New Year's Eve at one friend's house. Most times we girls played Scrabble as usual, but I do remember one year, as we sat in front of the blazing fireplace in her living room, my friend's father told us that he would allow us one small glass of champagne each to toast the New Year. As he popped the bottle, I had a tingle of anticipation – something special about this holiday at last! But I disliked champagne at first sip, and forced it down only to be polite.
The next New Year's Eve, two boys of our acquaintance happened by, but all they wanted to do was to watch static on the television. It seems they had developed a habit of watching static to see what images would appear if they stared at the screen long enough. As they tried to point out how we could perhaps see a clown riding a bicycle in the random specks, we suspected that champagne was not the only substance they were celebrating with. Their unexpected visit didn't make the holiday any better.
Nor were the young adult years much of an improvement, as the theme for the holiday became party, dress and did I have a date this year, or, if not, was I brave enough to attend the party without one? (I was.)
There are lots of benefits to getting older, one of which is that New Year's Day is better. Now I like to look back at what was important to me about the years past, and to look forward to what I want to do with the year to come. This January, I celebrate having launched Creek Road Gang, a project I had considered for several years before finally deciding to just do it. I toast (with a good non-sparkling white wine) all the writers who have contributed to the magazine, and I give another toast to the writers who will join us in the coming year. I especially thank the intrepid writers who took time from their holiday preparations to provide us with the writing featured in this issue. I am grateful for the readers who have found us, and look forward to the new readers who will join us. (I'd throw confetti, but I'm the one who'd have to clean it up, so just imagine it!) I look forward to more good times together with loved ones and friends. I resolve to look for the little moments, the details, the space in the over-busy schedule and to appreciate the flow, the beauty, the many meanings of life. And I plan for the future – mine and the magazine's, for I hope we shall grow together.
May you find laughter, tears, nods of recognition and many surprises in Creek Road Gang! May it bring us more of the light of others' lives, and, in those glimpses, may we see also the gleam of light that we all have within us. Thanks for reading, and thanks for being a part of our gang!
As a kid, I didn't like New Year's Day. It didn't have anything special to it that I could see. Sure, my parents would stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve so they'd know when the new year started, not that it made much of a difference that I could tell. We kids weren't allowed to stay up that late, and it couldn't be any big deal for my parents either, because they could stay up until midnight any old time they wanted.
What good was New Year's Day? We had no special ceremonies except for some parades on black-and-white television, but parades weren't very interesting to me if I wasn't actually there, with my heart beating in time to the big bass drum. New Year's Day at our house had no special food, no New Year's decorations, no New Year's candy. Of course, there was that one song, but I couldn't understand what some of the words meant, and how many times could you sing "Auld Lang Syne" anyway?
No, it was a pretty boring holiday, upon which I was also saddled with the unpleasant task of making New Year's Resolutions. So far as I could tell, New Year's Resolutions gave people an opportunity to admit what they'd been doing wrong in the year that had ended, and to work on fixing it in the coming year. I didn't like making up my list; I heard enough from grown-ups about what areas I needed to improve, and had no interest in dwelling on those matters any more than I had to.
In later years, when I was in high school, two friends and I would spend New Year's Eve at one friend's house. Most times we girls played Scrabble as usual, but I do remember one year, as we sat in front of the blazing fireplace in her living room, my friend's father told us that he would allow us one small glass of champagne each to toast the New Year. As he popped the bottle, I had a tingle of anticipation – something special about this holiday at last! But I disliked champagne at first sip, and forced it down only to be polite.
The next New Year's Eve, two boys of our acquaintance happened by, but all they wanted to do was to watch static on the television. It seems they had developed a habit of watching static to see what images would appear if they stared at the screen long enough. As they tried to point out how we could perhaps see a clown riding a bicycle in the random specks, we suspected that champagne was not the only substance they were celebrating with. Their unexpected visit didn't make the holiday any better.
Nor were the young adult years much of an improvement, as the theme for the holiday became party, dress and did I have a date this year, or, if not, was I brave enough to attend the party without one? (I was.)
There are lots of benefits to getting older, one of which is that New Year's Day is better. Now I like to look back at what was important to me about the years past, and to look forward to what I want to do with the year to come. This January, I celebrate having launched Creek Road Gang, a project I had considered for several years before finally deciding to just do it. I toast (with a good non-sparkling white wine) all the writers who have contributed to the magazine, and I give another toast to the writers who will join us in the coming year. I especially thank the intrepid writers who took time from their holiday preparations to provide us with the writing featured in this issue. I am grateful for the readers who have found us, and look forward to the new readers who will join us. (I'd throw confetti, but I'm the one who'd have to clean it up, so just imagine it!) I look forward to more good times together with loved ones and friends. I resolve to look for the little moments, the details, the space in the over-busy schedule and to appreciate the flow, the beauty, the many meanings of life. And I plan for the future – mine and the magazine's, for I hope we shall grow together.
May you find laughter, tears, nods of recognition and many surprises in Creek Road Gang! May it bring us more of the light of others' lives, and, in those glimpses, may we see also the gleam of light that we all have within us. Thanks for reading, and thanks for being a part of our gang!
~ Kate Lydon
