FAREWELL 2021

Here it is.  The last day of another year.  We humans have put together calendars with special dates with corresponding traditional celebrations.  New Year's Eve probably weighs in the heaviest when it comes to large crowds, champagne, appetizer buffets, party hats, horns and blowouts, song, dance.  All is done to not only welcome in a new year, but equally so to be grateful to have survived another twelve months.

Oh, we've had some crazy New Years Eve parties in the past.  The one that 'specially comes to mind is when one of our dearest friends almost fell down our clothes chute.  Dale caught him as he was halfway down head first.  Our guys were lean machines back then.  After the party, his wife had to carry him in the house, cuz his legs quit functioning somewhere along the evening.  Ah, yes, those were the days.  But, oh, the carefree spirit of youth.  

Now, we're more than okay with avoiding crowds, and we're too worn out to dance.  A bottle of Balatore Gran Spumante awaits my fluted glass, as I remember the night my girlfriend and I downed four bottles of champagne at a local speakeasy.  For sure I shall toast my girlfriend tonight and pay homage to those memories we share.

Am going to enjoy watching a You Tube live stream being hosted by a couple in Massachusetts.  Those who will join on screen will all be eating their favorite appetizers and foods and sipping the sauce of the season.  These people are real people, they lean on one another for emotional support, and this venue of social media gives people like me the chance to be with people while not really being with people.  Have watched them so much now, that I could easily sit down and visit like we've been lifelong friends.  In fact, one of the gals and I email.  Her name is Lee, and she lives in Massachusetts.  

Tomorrow morning, we've been invited to watch the parade and have lunch with our friends.  They lived in the unit we live in, but chose to move to a larger one to accommodate their beautiful Victorian-era furnishings.  Life is about celebrating our memories with old friends and making room for opportunities to make new memories.  The Christmas Past and the Christmas Present.  

For some, this past year has held tragic sorrow, and we pray their hearts heal as they wade their way through the waves of grief.  For them, it must feel impossible to imagine anyone celebrating anything.  

It's not easy looking forward right now.  The moral fiber of our nation is frayed, like the worn out shirt with holes in it.  We were taught to respect others, but respect has been replaced with hate.  We were taught to be responsible, but that, too, has been replaced with entitlement.  It's okay to lie, cheat, steal, be cruel and to bully others, and violence is acceptable, authority condemned, and the criminal praised and protected.  The courts have been compromised.  Can about imagine what our parents and grandparents would think if they were suddenly brought back to live in today's world.  We were sitting here last night, and the boyfriend looked at me and said quite seriously, "I wonder what awaits us in 2022."  It's like reading a thriller mystery.....we won't know till the last page  Good or bad, we've got to be strong and resilient.  We must uphold the morals we were raised with, hope and pray that good wins over evil.  

One of my resolves for the new year is to take life one hour at a time and pay attention to that hour.  One hour is like one page in the book of our life.  Time is ticking away, and it's my responsibility to make life as good for myself and others as I possibly can.  The small, seemingly insignificant, gestures of kindness keep us all going.  Sadly in the past couple of years, there are those who have chosen to part ways with us because their way of thinking is right and ours is wrong.  In some ways, social distancing is a good thing not only for the spread of the virus, but also the spread of hostility.  Feels like there's an undercurrent we can't put our finger on, but we know it's there.  One wrong word, and an argument starts.  Only one arrow remains in my quiver, and that's silly humor.  Instead of getting angry, I make crap out of stuff.  If someone thinks they're right and I'm wrong, I frankly don'g give a flying f____.  Each of us encounters a lot of challenging situations during one lifetime, and when we reach the top of the ladder we'd better have discovered our personal life jacket.....the one thing that will keep our heads above water and keep us from drowning in mankind's sea of stupidity.  For me, it's a laugh, a tease, a giggle.....whatever the hell it takes.  I'm a proponent of playing pranks, always have been.  

And with all that jabbering, I shall close the book on 2021.