Glass

Fortune is like glass. The brighter the glitter, 

the more easily broken.

~ Pubilius Syrus

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I think 2016 was rough for a lot of people. I heard on the radio the other day that one reason could be the recent ugliness of the election. Another reason suggested was that we are constantly inundated with information and don't unplug. And most of the information is negative. And much of it is incorrect. We get notified every time something happens and we never get a break. There were other reasons suggested, too. I forget what they were.

I don't know if I believe that 2016 was more difficult than other years. I believe it was difficult in different ways - as every year is. But it was also good in different ways - as every year is.

I will say that on New Years day when I went to type, "I wonder what the new year will bring" I first accidentally typed, "I wonder what the new year will break." That's kind of revealing.

I'm going to believe it reveals that I'm enjoying the break between fall and spring term. I'm going to believe it means growth. I'm going to try and remember how much I love sea glass and that it wouldn't be what it was if it hadn't been broken and then the rough edges worn smooth.

In ways we are very much like sea glass. Maybe that is another reason I like it. We get broken. We can be jagged at first, but time often makes us smoother and easier to handle. 

We also get significantly smaller if tossed around in the ocean for hundreds of years.