spring fling

and a happy new year

if you’re looking at the date and wondering how we’re three and half+months into 2026, the good news is you get a second chance. and in all honestly, every moment of every day is a chance to start again, but i digress.

in Persian culture we welcome a new year on the Spring Equinox, which was Friday.

nowruz: (pronounced no-rooz) comes from two Old Persian words:

now (or nava): meaning new.

ruz (or rəzaŋh): meaning day.

a new day. it is about nature’s rebirth, renewal, and resilience. and this year we celebrate with extra tenderness. as we continue a 3,000 year-old (!) tradition, we carry the hope, resilience and strength of the Iranian people, not be confused with the force of the Islamic Regime which has tried to erase the culture, beauty, and integrity of its people. and left most of the West with the idea that we are just a bunch of good old terrorists in hijabs.

when in reality we are one of the oldest, soulful, decadent, generous, party-loving, and ancient cultures out there. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

growing up, it was a holiday filled with rituals: jumping over fire, a table filled with witchy symbolism, and a lot of crisp dollar bills. cash flow for us young people. as we now give “eidi” to the next generation, i’ve taken it upon myself to learn it’s means “may my luck and the prosperity I have earned follow you into your future.”

the tradition always made a lot of sense in my book. winter is for hibernation, spring is for awakening. following both the astrological new year and nature’s new year.

some reminders as we bloom.

01 pain needs a rebrand. many good things come from pain. childbirth is one of those things. growth is another. expansion comes from discomfort.

02 we misinterpret spaciousness as emptiness, yet space is where life can reorganize, clarity blooms and fertilizes, and realization can become.

03 apparently, during the equinox the sun and moon are aligned in a way that makes it easy for an egg to stand up.

04 some things you can’t think your way through, but dancing is an option. i’m intending to listen to more Rosalia.

05 life is made of the mundane. baby steps.

06 (my) word of the year, NUANCE.

my definition: the art of holding multiple truths.

gemini’s definition:

à la, the people of Iran and the diaspora can be hopeful and scared. or bad people can do good things. multiple things can be true at once. yada, yada, yada.

to more nuance, hope, knowing, resilience, and a new day for us all.

life is so rich, and nowruz mubarak,

mister jas