A week of adjustment. I got back to Detroit on Wednesday, and as of Friday started writing in the mornings again – just journaling for now, easing my way back into the next novel. It’s been a rocky few days but I see forming again the start of a steady routine.
Saturday I went to a gathering at M’s place. M’s father is a diplomat; his family moved all around the world for much of his life. Now settled on his own in Detroit, M had friends over to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, a tradition he was first exposed to by living in the Middle East. There was a table called a Half Seen – with seven symbolic items, each starting with the letter Seen (which makes the s sound). There were, separately in the kitchen, curries and rice, slightly salty sparking water, ice cream, juices, bean pie – a feast.
One of the things M said in explanation was that the Persian New Year coincided with the beginning of spring, and the change in calendar matched a change in the physical environment – so it actually feels like a new year. I found that to be so carefully observed. For me, it explains some of the difficulty behind first-of-January resolutions, especially when compared the energy that seems to come more naturally in the early spring, and late fall.
