New beginnings. The phrase itself stirs up many emotions, different ones for different people. One would think that most would be positive, but that is not always the case.

Fact is, new beginnings can be tough sometimes. For example, I’m having a tough time beginning this column.

A girl once told me that the best way to start a research paper was with a famous quote.

She said it shows that you put a lot of effort into the writing of your paper, even though you didn’t; it was someone else’s quote.

I know there is some great quote floating around about “new beginnings”, but in all my research, and I did a lot, I could find none.

That’s really a bummer because how appropriate would a quote about new beginnings be at the beginning of a column on the beginning of a new semester at Iowa State?

Or something like that.

So I decided to provide my own quote on new beginnings, but I thought that before I just rushed out and said something, I should really analyze what all a new beginning entails.

I wouldn’t want my quote to mislead anyone because who knows, someone might stick it in a research paper someday.

The dictionary is always a good place to start, plus it provides a quick and reliable source. That way, if anyone disagrees with my quote I can say, talk to Mr. Webster buddy. For some reason, I’ve always wanted to say that.

The first definition of “new” is “different from the one in the past.” Isn’t that the truth?

It’s exciting starting out a new year because everything’s different: different classes, different professors, different residence, different roommates.

Other things are different, too. You find out things that have changed from the year before such as these people don’t go to school anymore or that person broke up with this person.

What really sucks is when you’re the person that was broken up with, not that I was.

So I believe the dictionary hit it right on the nose with this first definition, but unfortunately, nothing I would want my quote to be about.

The second definition of “new” is “strange and unfamiliar.” I couldn’t really apply this to the new beginning at school other than the strange and unfamiliar feeling I had walking out of the bookstore this morning.

After forking over the cash for my books, I had a feeling similar to that of being violated but that is nothing anyone would want to see in a quote.

It was also an unfamiliar feeling to see that I had 68 messages waiting for me the first time I checked my e-mail.

That was strange because normally I see the “You don’t have any mail waiting” command.

Although the excitement wore off when 62 of the 68 messages were forwards. By the way, has anyone received their money from Bill Gates?

The next definition of “new” is “unused.” This is a very simple definition, but I’m a very simple guy, as you’ll come to find out through my columns.

I like it and will consider it for the quote. Onto the next word.

The first definition of “beginning” is “a starting.” This is a good place to start, bad joke, unfortunately this definition carries with it a bad connotation.

Starting can be very intimidating, especially if you’ve started many races but never seem to finish them, not that I’ve done that.

Just like a race, the thought of starting a new class can be intimidating.

New professor, new assignments, new faces in the class staring at you as you walk in late.

So that definition is no good because the last thing I want to do with this quote is intimidate people.

Another definition of “beginning” is “the first part.” Call me crazy, but I like it and I’m going with it. Meaning what we have with a new beginning is an “unused first part.”

And that’s what we have at the beginning of this semester, an “unused first part.” Everything is new!

Just because you’ve messed around other semesters doesn’t mean you have to now. This semester is unused.

And so what if you were burned out at the end of last spring? This is a first part and no one is burned out at the first part.

Just think of this semester as a new gob of Silly Putty. Though you may deny it, I know that almost everyone has played with Silly Putty at some point in their life.

Just like I know that despite what they say, most guys enjoy the song “Tell Me Why” by the Backstreet Boys, although I’m not one of them.

Imagine your semester as Silly Putty. Right now it is a fresh, unused gob.

But once you put your hands into it, the gob becomes anything you want it to be.

You can stretch it out wide, scrunch it into a ball or pull it into different pieces.

It doesn’t matter what you did with the last gob of Silly Putty, this one can be totally different.

And since it’s your putty, you don’t have to listen to anyone else’s ideas on how to form it.

But you can’t mess around with the putty, otherwise it will stay a gob. You must take the time to form it into whatever shape you desire.

So after much research and soul searching I have finally come up with the perfect quote to begin this new semester.

My apologies to Forrest Gump.

“A new beginning is like Silly Putty. If you take the time to form it, it becomes whatever you make it.”

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Jackson Lashier is a junior in English from Marshalltown.