The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend. —Henri L.

It just happened—that is I stared up at the pine branches and noted the small droplets poised ready to let go. The droplets became a metaphor for the passage of time—and who doesn't think of time, past and present when the year is about to alter its numerics. 2007 becomes 2008 causing us to think about the past year and the future year. Exaggerated resolutions—the hyperbolae of New Year's Day grasps the imagination.

It's akin to the start of the school year—new notebooks, no words on any page, but we know that isn't quite true. Despite that there's the anticipation, the pristine pages not yet filled. How many hopes, promises, resolutions are scrawled out or uttered?

And the giddiness of the prospect is intoxicating. Why not? It's a gift. It's a time to stop and reflect and throw a lasso out to capture some wild dreams and maybe even actualize a few.