Happy 1387!

There are some things that we take for granted in life. This includes what year it is and what day of the week it is.

Here in Afghanistan we are celebrating the Muslim calendar that welcomes the year of 1387. It’s kind of cool to flip things on its head and think about time being a relative thing. To Muslims it is 1387, according to the Jewish calendar it is 5769, and to others it is 2008.

It all depends on how you look at it. And yet this moment is still this moment, no matter what label you put on it.

I find that thinking of the New Year at spring time makes a lot more sense than starting it in the darkness of winter. So when spring rolls around you can take this opportunity to think of it as a new year.

Another cool thing is that I recently learned that Muslims consider that the day starts with the night. For instance, what would normally be considered Thursday night is really Friday night. This is because Friday starts at dusk rather than starting with dawn.

One of the things I’ve always loved in my travels is how there are so many different ways to do something in this world. Just when you think you have it all sorted out and something is the way it is, you realize that it isn’t merely what it is, but what you think it is. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Happy New Year!

Miel