Happy new year 2020!
A new year - The sun and moon don't know, the universe doesn't care, but it shows what abstract things humans can create. It is not only tangible physical things, but imaginations and abstractions shape humanity as well - calendars and timekeeping is an excellent example of that. Corporations, countries, nationalities, gossips - these are some other examples that separate humans from other known intelligent species. Anyways, calendars are but a human creation, so are numerous things related to it. A random day of nature becomes the beginning of a new year for us - the celebrations and ways of the party are all but fascinating imaginations! Shows what the human brain can do uniquely that is distinct from other species.
What I found interesting today was the crowd in the Gym! First, some background - I live in a building that has an excellent gym, one of the best in the area. It is a pretty nicely designed, massive, well-equipped gym, and it also has a spa and steam room, sauna as well as hot-cold towels, shaving kits, and plenty of other things such as kids room, snacks and smoothy shop, onsite doctor, dietician, shop with accessories etc. It offers several free classes for members every day, and More than a dozen employees (apart from personal trainers) work at any time there. I am not a fitness freak, but I got into this because initially, it was free for my building residents (nothing is free; it was part of the rent, but now it is additional - what they call is the discounted price.) I am an irregularly regular gym-goer. I go around ten days a month; it doesn't matter if it is a new year or any other month. In winters, if I get flu, I go more for the steam room. If my weight increases by 1 kg (which has been more or less constant in the last ten years), I start going more - but for whatever reason, my laziness always wins, and I hardly ever go more than ten days in a month - irregularly regular.
But the Gym attracts a tremendous amount of enrollment on Jan 1st. The crowd in Gym increases, lockers seem more occupied in Jan, employees increase too; they keep free coffee and breakfast on Jan 1st. Holiday decorations still remain till Jan 1st, and it looks like the best day for the Gym. People come with new yoga mats (even if Gym has hundreds of yoga mats) and brand new accessories. Jan is by far the most crowded month, but as days go by slowly, it fades away and becomes normal. Every year it is the same pattern. The Philippino guy who works in the men's area knows me; one of the things he talks to me is about the crowd. The first question is always the same - 'where have you been?'. And then He will ask - 'very fewer people this week.' and I will go - 'thanksgiving, people are traveling.' but today, he smiled and said - 'resolution people. more work for me!' If I were them, I would turn the gym into a free dink and party place every Dec 31st night with a registration desk! And make it cheap for people who come for the rest of the year.
Anyways, classics never get old, here is to 2020 !
अहो कालसमुद्रस्य न लक्ष्यन्ते-तिसंतता:। मज्जन्तोत्तरस्य युगान्ताः पर्वता इव।। - क्षेमेन्द्र।
काल के महासमुद्र का कोई ओर छोर नहीं, उसमें अन्तराल कहाँ, महाकाय पर्वतों सदृश बड़े-बड़े युग उसमें विलीन हो जाते हैं (वर्ष का तो कहना ही क्या !)।
This year I also completed a decade in New York City. Initially, I thought I would write a post about the last year and the previous decade, some other time. It is not going to fit in posts :)