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Note #114: Happy solstice! (2017.12.21)

This will probably be my last post before we head back to Korea. Tomorrow afternoon, my parents are coming up to hang for one last time in Cambridge and have one last dinner at the Red House, and then we are heading down to New York for Christmas. Since this will be the last chance for me to spend time with my family for some time—especially with everyone together in one place—I don’t imagine that I will want to spend time writing.

Today was my last day at the office, although to be honest I did not get all that much done. I spent some time talking with Matt and Maya, my officemates, and with Mike, our honorary officemate across the hall. I also returned the last of the library books on my desk and cleaned everything up, leaving the space that I occupied this semester pristine—empty except for the office key that I am leaving behind. This was the beginning of my “de-keying.” On Saturday morning I will leave behind the keys to our apartment, at which point I will once again be keyless and ready to make the transition.

I suppose it is somewhat ironic that, back when I first decided to shout into the void of the internet, I chose “liminality” for the name of this site—because I absolutely hate transitions. I have been stressed out all day thinking about transitioning back to Korea and trying to say goodbye to everyone and everything. Mind you, it’s not that I am not looking forward to getting back to Korea. It’s just that the process of leaving this life and getting settled once again back in my normal life is hard.

It’s also interesting that today happens to be the solstice, specifically the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year, the point at which our half of the globe is tilted as far away from the sun as it will ever get. We have reached a tipping point, so to speak, and from now on the northern half of the globe will start to tip back toward the sun, bringing us longer days. As the Five Stairsteps sang, things will get brighter. And I guess that is the comforting thing about transitions—that they are temporary, and that there is something waiting on the other side.

So: I wish you a Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, and Happy Hanukkah (belatedly, though, since it ended yesterday), and if I don’t manage to write something before then, Happy New Year as well. See you on the other side.