Horsing Around

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The year of the horse is upon us. We’ll be horsing around until 2027. I’m fresh off my annual break. We’re ready to go.

But not really. I’m not one for letting a fiscal calendar dictate my behaviours and decision-making. Corporations tell us we need to hit the ground running to meet Q1 KPIs. Our biology tells a very different story.

It’s the middle of winter, lads. Days are brief. It’s dark and cold. Our bodies and minds aren’t primed for productivity. Rather, the opposite. We’re seeking rest. We’re sleeping longer (or at least wanting to). The idea of a new year beginning in the middle of Winter makes no sense to me. We’re not meant to be gearing up right now, but we’ve been convinced by glorious marketing that we should be the most productive versions of ourselves immediately. Why? Something, something, the bottom line.

So I say we should move against the grain. Continue horsing around for the time being. Take it handy. March is a more sensical starting time. Arrive into the year with the Spring. I’ll be warmed up by then. Ready for road. But not now. Not in the middle of literal Winter.

(Fun note: Both this year and last year have personal significance for me. Last year was the year of the snake. I had a pet snake when I was a child. His name was Snake, you might recall. We didn’t get along, but still. And then this year, of the horse is significant because the lads used to call me Capall (They didn’t at all, but I did try to make it happen)).