I admit, I've never been much for making a big deal out of New Year’s Day. Marking another day on the calendar is a bit arbitrary, if you ask me; which no one did. The fact that on Jan. 1, we consider it another year doesn't mean a lot to me, other than I know for the next three weeks I'm going to be forgetting to change the year whenever I include the full date on anything. I can understand the sense of hope that comes with starting something new. Much the same way that I would approach a new school year with the determination that, "This year, I'm going to study harder." I finally came to the realization that if I was going to start studying more, then I should just start studying more. There was nothing magical about the numbers on a calendar. On a side note, consequently, when I did decide to actually start studying more, the grades improved.
I guess my point is, I have never been one to be a big "partier" on New Year's Eve. There have been a few exceptions, most notably when we hit the "millennium" and we all thought the world was going to come to an end when the clock struck midnight, so why not go out with a bang? It was a big party with a lot of good friends. I am still sworn to secrecy on most of the details, but I do remember copious amounts of "Mr. Bubble" were involved.
I do imagine this New Year's Eve may feel a bit different. I don't have any "party plans" in the works. Most of my friends with whom I would "party" are either visiting out of town, live out of town or, like me, have gotten a little bit too old to go into town to "party" like we used to. Now, if the New Year came in at around 9:30 p.m., that might be a different story. I'm sure no one will argue the fact that, for the most part, this past year has been a challenge. But the good news is, we made it through. I'm sure you remember the old adage, "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." This year has certainly made many of us stronger. I hope that the need for such strength doesn't become a necessity in the coming months, but it could be.
Personally, I'm looking forward to 2021. Sure, there will be difficult times, no doubt. There will also be some very good times, just as there were in 2020. So, bring it on 2021! I'm eager to see what you have in store for us all. Just please don't make too much noise at midnight. I'll probably already be asleep. Happy New Year from over here on the "sunny side."