New Beginnings

A lot of the people in my life are starting anew these days.  Mostly by choice, some by chance, they all are embracing the novelty with smiles on their faces.  

How rare is that?

Jesse, he of the magic scissors, is no longer cutting hair only in Tucson.  Three weeks out of four, he's in San Diego, starting a new chapter in a new salon.  Nogales to Tucson to San Diego may not seem like a formidable journey, but leaving home is leaving home, no matter how old you are or how many miles your new car must travel.  

A new car, a new living space, a new love of his life - he's not overwhelmed, he's reveling in it all.

Amster has established a new firm with an old friend.  Their new offices are within the confines of offices owned by other old friends.  Her former receptionist has ended up there, too.  Her name is on the letterhead, her phone is ringing off the hook, she's flying to California and North Carolina on business - and she's sporting the biggest smile I've ever seen on her face.

Mr. 9 is playing on his first, organized, basketball team in his first, organized, basketball league. He arrived an hour early for the first of his two games, so that he could warm up.  He ran throughout the hiatus between games, ran full court press drills, scored 4 points, and ate five bowls of salad before diving into the wings at dinner.  It's all new and wonderful, and it's feeding his physical appetites in a way which leaves him grinning from ear to ear, too.

Big Cuter is expanding his fledgling business across the Bay, and he, too, is enjoying the ride.  He's exhausted and exhilarated, learning about himself and about other as his plan expands.  There's a lightheartedness in his voice that warms the cockles of his mother's heart.

Princess Myrtle left her job on the Left Coast for Paris and then Cambridge.  We caught up with her for dinner in San Francisco last weekend, where we met her new boyfriend.  She's starting a new career, living in another new city, facing an exciting but uncertain future... and she's all smiles.

Am I old enough that all this novelty exhausts me?  Just a little, I think.

I played maj jongg in a new league this morning; does that count?