December 29th, 2017

It's almost here, my friends.  Another year, nearly done. Hard to believe that 52 weeks have passed since the last time we talked about this.  Does it feel like 365 days to you?  That means that we each had eight thousand, seven hundred and sixty hours to do all the things that we said that we would do. Did you get it all done?  I sure didn't.

Funny how despite how long it seems that a year stretches before me, I never seem to have all the time that I feel that I need.  And as I get older (and we all do!) the less time I seem to have.  I do not have a "bucket list" per se.  Nothing so formal as that which is odd because I do love lists!  But there are things that I would like to do.  Like finish the reno on this house, for example.  It will happen, I'm sure of that.  It's just a matter of when.  On the other hand, I am not certain that any house is ever really done.  There is always something we would like to do:  a new colour to put on the walls, a replacement of a broken window, new toss pillows to freshen up a room, different curtains, a change up in the garden perhaps.

It's all in how you look at it.  A difference in attitude, in perspective I suppose, is what changes a future from gloomy to hopeful.  Attitude is what changes a situation from obstacle to opportunity.  Not to put too Pollyanna of a spin on things but let's say, my car battery dies. Is that 'Oh no! What a disaster?" or is it "Ok I can walk to most everything I need to do and frankly, I could use the exercise".  I saw my broken pastry board as "oh bummer. No cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning",  Tim saw it as, "Aha!  I know what to wow her with for Christmas this year",  Perspective.

This is something that our media takes huge advantage of, by the way.   Depending on the perspective each media source chooses to use, the exact same situation can be reported as a good thing, a mediocre things, a bad thing or a disastrous thing.  Which of those choices do you think "sells more papers?" as they used to say.  Back when news media was primarily print there was a saying, "If it bleeds, it leads".  They wanted drama.  They needed it to sell their papers to be a major player.  And you had to be a major player to sell  enough expensive advertising space to make enough money to get ahead.  And it is only in getting ahead that their board of directors is happy.  Which means giving the public what they want. And what they seem to want is Drama with a capitol D.  In our humdrum little lives, people seem to crave it.  The general public seems to thrive on controversy, Why do you think Soap Operas have thrived, first on radio and then on television?  Drama!

When I was young and foolish, I thought media reporting was all predicated on fact. Simply reporting facts. Presenting situations exactly as they happened with no editorializing or shading or leaning in one direction or another.  How naïve.  I know better now. Which is why, when I read the papers or the online news or hear it on television or radio. Or even word of mouth, I  nothing at face value.  I ask questions instead.  Lots of questions.  If I'm interested enough, I will even do some research on my own.  I have completely ignored all of the 2017 retrospectives that have been in the paper the past few days.  Because when I read it, I feel sad and a little angry and the part that annoys me the most, I feel hopeless.

The future looks bleak if you whole heartedly believe everything we are told. And I refuse to live that way.  So I don't blindly agree with any of them.  I doubt and I question and I use the grey matter in my head to think things through and come up with conclusions of my own.  I refuse to be spoon fed by anyone.  And ultimately, I have great hope for my own future, the future of our country, the world, this planet and the universe.  I am very optimistic, in fact.  And I hope you are too.  I believe if we were all a little more positive, a little more hopeful, it could change things.

So on that note I wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Optimistic New Year!~

However you choose to ring the New Year in, have fun and be safe.