I’ll begin by informing you that I
have a very literal mind when it comes to words. When people say, “you made
your bed, now you have to lie in it,” I wonder why they think I will want to
climb back into bed after having spent all that time making it! I am not that much of a clean freak . . .
So, when I think of the phrase
“turning over a new leaf” I see an actual leaf flipping over in my mind. This
image still means something to me, even if it isn’t quite the same meaning that
other people have when they hear that familiar saying. Allow me to explain.
Looking at a leaf, the first thing
most people (myself included) notice is the bright green (if we’re talking
spring/summer) side. It’s colorful, it’s smooth, and it’s shiny. It’s kind of
like a shield. It’s what people first notice because it is what the leaf wants
people to see. How many of us work to show those around us only what we want
them to see? How many of us hide a part of us that is truer to ourselves
because we can’t bear the thought of others seeing that side of us, and
rejecting it?
That deeper self, I believe, is the
flip side of the leaf. When I picture the phrase, “turning over a new leaf,” I
see that other side—the side of the leaf we usually see when they fall from the
trees. This side is paler and full of the “veins” of the leaf. It’s the more
vulnerable side of the leaf.
We have this side too. It’s the
side of us that we only let out when we’re alone in our room, going nuts trying
to finish a paper after hours of procrastination. It’s the side of us we only
show to our siblings, when we dork out when we finally see them again during
school breaks. It’s the side of us we introduce to our friends little by
little, in small doses so they don’t freak out when they hear us speak in our
Cookie Monster voice for the first time, or sing to a piece of chocolate. Yes,
maybe this side of us is stranger. But isn’t it more fun to be strange and
entertaining that to be cool and detached from everything around us?
So, this fall, I think we should
all test these waters, as we still are getting to know each other and now have
new sisters to befriend. Shouldn’t our sisters get to see us at our best, our
craziest? Try turning over that new leaf and showing friends the more personal,
maybe more goofy side of you. You may be surprised at how much people enjoy
seeing you in this light. After all, we all want our friends to love us for who
we are.
