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On New Year’s Day I spent the morning happily curled up on my couch with Phineas (he was a little under the weather due to an allergy to all the rock salt they slather NYC sidewalks with), my computer on my lap, Anthony Bourdain on my TV traveling and eating his way through exotic lands, and a cup of Bengali Spice tea. I was having a perfect start to the new year.
I was flipping through the New York Times on my computer and came across an op-ed by Oliver Sacks, an author and scientist who was very influential during my undergrad years at Penn. The way he looked at cognitive psychology and its implications on culture and understanding the human condition, really struck a cord with me so I was thrilled to read about his latest ideas.
In the article, he talks about how New Year’s resolutions tend to be things like lose weight or go to the gym, wonderful resolutions that are good for the body. He asks us to consider making a resolution to grow and strength our minds, and suggests that one of the very best ways to do that is to try something new, which could mean brushing your teeth with your weaker hand, traveling to a new destination, or taking up a new instrument. Giving ourselves over to the beginner’s experiences does for our mind what working out does for our bodies. How wonderful since I just pledged to be a beginner for the entire year of 2011!
Here’s to stronger, more open mind in 2011. What new adventure are you taking up?
The gorgeous image above appeared with Dr. Sacks’s op-ed and was created by Valero Doval.
This blog is part of the 2011 WordPress Post Every Day Challenge.
Christa Avampato 