New beginnings

It's January 22nd today; in other words, a little late in the day to do a New Year post. 

Thus, will save myself and anyone who reads this, the trauma of having to go through yet another meaningless post filled with New Year cheer and resolutions that go nowhere. (Last yr the only resolution I actually followed through and did full justice to, was the one about reading one good book a month... the others like learning a new language were forgotten even before the Chinese New Yr had come by!)

The balcony with a view

I have been offline the most of January. First we were busy settling into the new house and then with not having a WiFi connection till mid January. During this non WiFi period, we were saddled with a dongle that accessed the internet at speeds that wouldn't even be experienced in some remote, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific; so it was impossible to get online, much less blog.

Initially I was terrified about how I would cope without being glued on to the Internet 24*7 and minus  Facebook. But I not only survived; but I also got used to being offline. And now, I have actually started enjoying this whole "not being online-not being connected" phase.

There are quite a few benefits that I am discovering, apart from not having to forever surreptitiously checking who commented on what you wrote on your personal or your blog's page on Facebook. I get to bed early, I wake up early and go for a long walk; and cutting down on visiting food blogs and food forums means I  avoid being tempted by the posts of all the drool inducing food out there and I end up eating healthier.

And most importantly, after having being addicted to a virtual world full of virtual friendships, virtual concern and virtual support; I am discovering it is not a patch on the real one; one where you can text a friend at 9.30 in the evening about just how mad you are at the world and she will, of her own volition, come join you for a walk by the riverside just to give you company. There is no one in the virtual world, no matter how genuine their concern for your problems is, who can ever match that.

Other than this whole new found aversion to the phoniness that one comes across in the virtual world and this not-so new found desire to limit my time on the Internet (have always been wanting to do it but never happened until now), this January has also been a month of many new beginnings -  new routine, new school for the boys, new walking route for me, a new garden to be set up in the balcony and decorating and setting up a brand new home.

A January of new beginnings.
A new start all over again.
A chance to do things I have wanted to do, change things I have wanted to change.
A chance to push and better myself.
A chance to be appreciative of things that matter. And to do away with things that don't.
A chance to rectify mistakes.
A chance to be more thankful for what I have.
A chance at another beautiful, enjoyable journey

"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning" ~ J. B. Priestly