I’m not jumping up and down to celebrate New Year’s Eve this time around. In fact, I’ll be lucky if I make it to watch the ball drop on teevee at midnight.
It’s not that I’m not happy about the coming of 2012. Quite the contrary. Partly it’s just that I’m old and boring now. I’m trying to grow some facial hair to make myself less boring, but that’s not going so well. Mainly I just look like I need to wash my face.
But the main reason I’m not in happy-happy-noisemaker mode is that I’m tired. 2011 absolutely kicked my ass.
And it’s not just me. Really, get Julie, kestrel or Maggie talking about their years. Seems like most people I know had a tough year. Weird how so often good and bad years seem to be so shared.
But health, injuries, up-and-down employment, couple of casualties – all that stuff was there, but it kinda sucked beyond the personal, too. There was Irene and Fukushima. There’s another winter that’s way too warm and wet, suggesting climate change is on the fastest possible track anybody could’ve imagined. The Iraq War is sorta-kinda-mostly over, and that’s a great thing – but in other policy spheres, the Tea Party has managed to grind government to an absolute standstill.
But 2012 is an election year, and election years are different. The sense of flux that surrounds elections seems to trickle down into the rest of society. Cynicism ticks up, sure – but also the sense that anything is possible (and I suppose those two things are the flip sides of each other). Things happen on election years.
So with all the oomph I can muster, I sez “bring it on, 2012!”
I mean, seriously – it can’t be any worse, right?
Well, there is that end-of-the-world thing.
No choice better just embrace it.
Hint:While driving try experimenting with leaving one blinker on.
To paraphrase one of the great oracle‘s learned political observations: may we, 365 days from now, look back w/satisfaction and say:
it appears most everyone gets all excited about the old year ending and giving birth to a new year (well, apparently not most everyone, …), however they almost always seem to forget how one can end up experiencing what amounts to major postpartum depression or even worse afterwards (including being deeply fatigued, …), particularly once all the celebrating is over or wears off and reality sets in, once again being reminded how the new day and year delivered is not all that much different or better than the last was during this phase of things, nor afterwards either. if there is anything different or better, it might be how we perceive such as well as what we do with both it as well as our time, not too mention how we regard and treat others, from here on out and, sometimes, that can make all the difference.
to the “shitty year list.” I’m trying to think of OWS’s emergence in the fall as the beginning of an era. Isnt there some great religion that tags fall as the new year?
and if you dont like this New year, catch the lunar new year in a bit, or wait for the first day of spring, Nuroooz the iranian new year.
By recommitting the ANR to transparency and to enforcing the rules.
If she continues the heroic task of shoring-up the ANR after Douglas’ efforts to undermine its authority, and despite the tepid enthusiasm of the current governor, she may hold the key, not only to Vermont’s environmental well-being, but also to our economic future.
In an emerging economy where quality of life and sustainability will be numbered among the most valued and marketable commodities, Vermont has a very attractive portfolio of local food production, green initiatives and enlightened natural resource management.