102 – Beginnings

Happy 2022! Let the new year begin.

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I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

What marks the start of your day? For me, it’s when I awaken. Sometimes with an alarm clock – most of the time around my natural hour. Other times it’s unplanned when I find myself wide awake and restless in the middle of the night. But that’s me.

Other people may not consider their day starting until finishing their first or second cup of coffee. For others, it may be a morning walk or run, but the list can go on and on because each of us is different. So, today I think about beginnings.

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Beginnings are an unfolding, inception, emergence, or an onset – yet maybe as simple as something new.

Today I began my morning by watching the sunrise. From the colorful display of the pre-dawn light to the eventual appearance of the fiery ball, I love its glory – but the actual new day started at midnight with a stroke of a clock while I slept.

There are beginnings to games, events, sequence, or even construction. All begin differently – a whistle, kickoff, tipoff, faceoff, tee shot, or scrum. It could be the first pitch, a musical overture, a starter’s pistol, an electronic tone, a wave of the flag, a bell, a curtain opening, the dimming of lights, Opening Day, Opening Night, a groundbreaking shovel of dirt, and more.

An empty stadium, a freshly plowed field, a vacant lot – all are places waiting for something to happen – waiting for a beginning.

The beginning of a friendship may start with a hello, a handshake, an introduction, a smile, or any other friendly gesture – even a first dance.

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Beginnings are a start, a launch, dawn, or genesis – a new moon, a sunrise, a nova, or a new tide. A beginning may also be a void, an empty space, nothing, or even something as simple as an opening.

The beginning is springtime – the empty field where crops start their growth toward becoming bountiful. The new buds on trees and shrubs. The new shoots from underground bulbs – or even life bursting from a seed.

Spring is the beginning of mating rituals by birds and other animals – a season leading to the beginning of a new generation.

Beginnings can be the flowering trees setting the stage of a new generation of that tree involving flowers to fruits to seeds – all leading to a new young seedling. Beginnings can also be a package of purchased seeds.

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A beginning can be a concrete footer, a steel beam, a shovel of dirt, a cornerstone, or a foundation – but all started with preparing the land for construction.

The beginning is the crying red face of a newborn, a nervous child waiting for the bus on their first day of school, a smiling bride escorted down the aisle, a happy graduate, the first glance of someone across a table or a room – even a first date.

The beginning is a ceremony, a baptism/christening, bar mitzvah, wedding, commencement, ribbon cutting, swearing-in, inauguration, equinox, January, midnight, 2 AM, some say Sunday but others Monday.

Beginnings used to be first grade, then it was kindergarten, but now it’s preschool.

Beginnings can signify the start of the next stage – second grade or third. The beginning of a play’s Act 2. The beginning of more depth between friends grows with trust and letting one’s guard down to be vulnerable – the unforgettable first kiss that begins increased intensity between two potential lovers.

Beginnings can be a preamble, preface, foreword, introduction, opening paragraph, the first chapter, a debut, Act 1, or the first blog post.

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Beginnings can be a fanfare, the first stanza, a musical overture, the first movement, a prelude, a rising or falling ball, the letter A, or even alpha.

Beginnings can be a clean piece of paper, a fresh canvas, or a new electronic file.

Beginnings can be a ring, pledge, oath, vow, promise, covenant, opening prayer, or even something informal or non-ceremonial.

Beginnings can be a theme song, jury selection, an investigation, opening credits, or even an idea.

Beginnings are not an end, which is different from the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end.

All these beginnings, yet we seemingly have a difficult time deciding if the beginning of a new decade starts with a year ending in one or zero – let alone the beginning of a new Millenium.

I began this walk long ago thinking about beginnings, then recording thoughts as I walked. Those thoughts turned into notes to be organized, then drafted, and eventually this essay. That’s the beginning of this beach walk. Just another reason why I like walking the beach, which is also good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

See what other bloggers have posted about Beginnings

• New Beginnings (a poem)
• The Beginning (an essay about the beginning of their life by a new visitor here)
• New Beginnings (a haiku, thoughts, and images)
• Beginning (a poem)
• New Beginnings (a poem)

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