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Scene’s new beginnings

New Year’s used to be a pretty meaningless holiday for me. Up through high school, all I’d really do was stay up until midnight, hang my head outside my front door yelling, “Happy New Year!” and then go to bed.

It was fun, no doubt, but gradually the holiday started to mean a lot more. And now, it holds all the weight and symbolism of a baptism. It’s an opportunity for rebirth and new beginnings — a clean slate on which I vow to build a better life, and a better me, than I’ve ever built before.

I am truly my best self for about the first three months of every year. I exercise regularly, I eat better, I save my money, I read more books, I practice active listening, I deep clean my bathroom on a regular basis — I am a downright impressive human. And then all those behaviors taper off, and eventually I’m back to my lazy self until the next Jan. 1.



Given that I equate the start of a new year to a sort of rebirth, I find it deliciously symbolic that Scene will be getting a new editor in January.

Will Grandbois, my friend and Scene editor successor, has accepted an offer to become editor of the Sopris Sun. I couldn’t be happier for him, even as I question why he’d leave the best job in the world (as if I have room to talk).



Next month, Carla Jean Whitley will take over the section. Based on our budding Facebook friendship, I’ve come to the conclusion that this job must just naturally draw in cat people. I like her already.

But in the meantime, I’m writing content for Scene. And even though it’s not the same working remotely rather than in the office, I’ve got to say it’s been a blast taking up the reins at my old gig. It’s gotten me a little nostalgic, but it’s also got me looking to the future, as I often do at this time of year.

At the root of all my New Year’s resolutions (and yours, too, I would guess) is the desire to do the things that will make me happiest. I’ve got a lot of living left to do to figure out where exactly I fit in this world, but one thing I do know is I love telling stories. It’s the best part of being a journalist and the thing I miss the most in my everyday life now that I’m working in marketing.

So, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to figure out how to make storytelling a part of my everyday life again. It’ll be a pretty easy task in the next couple of weeks as I continue to help with Scene’s transition, but after that, I might need to get creative.

It shouldn’t be too tough in this valley, though; there sure are a lot of great stories to tell.

Jessica Cabe wishes you all a very happy New Year. She can be reached at jcabe@postindependent.com.


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