Happy 2009 folks!
So, as I was waiting for the ball to drop last night, I was thinking over something rather curious. Why is it custom to kiss someone as soon as midnight strikes? Where on Earth did this tradition start and what is the logic behind it? I mean, nobody seems to question it. At huge parties, people will even kiss total strangers at midnight because that's what they're supposed to do. What if that stranger had some kind of disease? How do you know what that person had done with that mouth somewhere during the course of the night? What if they had herpes?! Eeew, herpes!
I guess it really only applies to those who really really care about it. I mean, when you're young you don't even realize that that's what happens at midnight. When you're young, all you care about is the fact that you get to stay up til midnight, and from the moment your party starts, it's a race til the first person falls asleep. But when kissing, and relationships enter your life, you're suddenly aware of the fact that there are actually customs that allow you to kiss complete strangers. And you like it! Because, who are we kidding, kissing is amazing. The only time we really have a problem with this custom, is when we don't have someone to kiss at midnight. It goes the same for mistletoe at Christmas. Those who are too young to understand, don't really pay attention to the custom of kissing under the bundle of weeds, while those who are part of a pair seek out the opportunity to kiss their partner in front of all in what is considered a cute and romantic tradition. At the same time, those who are of age, but don't have someone to kiss beneath the mistletoe, scorn the tradition and find it meaningless. In fact, they almost loathe it.
It's interesting how humans work, and how we turn simple acts of affection into traditions. Do we really need another excuse to show our love for each other? I mean, is this just another way for us to ignore the hate and war that's going on over in the middle east. In any other country. We can fight and kill and lose thousands of our own soldiers, (all of which are parents, husbands/wives, daughters/sons...) but if you show a little love at the beginning of the new year, yes, that makes up for everything.
Why is it we can't show love in other ways? I mean, why do we have to come up with excuses to show affection for someone. I mean, don't get me wrong, I absolutely loathe it when couples are full on making out in front of everyone in the middle of school hallways, but there are other ways...other ways we can show affection for each other.
Hold someone's hand, whether they be a friend or lover. Holding their hand shows that there's someone there for them, someone who cares enough to show that they're not going to have to go through the following minutes alone. Potentially showing them that they don't ever have to be alone. The smallest squeeze of the hand could mean the world to a single person.
Smile at a stranger. In some countries, this immediately means that you're interested in them. True story, my middle school French teacher was followed all the way to an airport because she had smiled at a handsome man, who immediately thought she liked him. But, a smile at a stranger gives them a strange feeling of recognition. You never know what that stranger is going through. What if they'd been contemplating suicide, because they thought that they were invisible? They thought nobody ever noticed them? That smile could help them realize that they're not invisible; that there are people out there who do pay attention, who do realize that they exist.
Even the smallest person can make a difference.
I know, I've strayed from the idea of a New Year's Eve kiss, but it's funny how everything kind of ties in. I guess, at the same time, that kiss could be a good normal form of expressing love. I mean, you don't have to kiss a lover. You could kiss a friend. You could kiss a family member. Or you could kiss a stranger. And that stranger's year could be made, because they spent the first moments of the year locking lips with you.
And hey, you never know who you're locking lips with really. Maybe instead of giving you Herpes, they're giving you their heart. New Year's could not only be the beginning of, well, a new year, but a beautiful friendship. For more information...see the final scene in When Harry Met Sally. A personal favorite of mine, and an ending I would like to see in my own world.
Well...I guess I oughta run. I've written quite a bit, and I know it's all over the place, but that's just how my mind works. I hope you enjoyed.