Happy New(ish) Year

I’ve ranted in this space more than a few times about how today is a lousy choice for the start of a new year.

Regardless of my “logic” concerning calendar transitions in this part of the world, last year’s event was especially meaningless. This current one is only slightly less so.

2021 started with a great deal of hope. At least two vaccines to combat the virus had been announced, and we were about to get national leadership that took the emergency seriously and would be competent enough to get them widely distributed.

By summer, certainly no later than the end of the year, we might have this thing under control. Life might be able to return to something like normal. We simply needed a little patience and some sense of community. A relatively short-term commitment as a society to make a few sacrifices for the common good.

Yet here we are. Soon to be entering a third year of this pandemic haze with COVID cases spiking once again. Fueled by a substantial and loud minority of the population, led by one of the two major political parties, that insists on flaunting their ignorance in the name of “freedom”. Or worse.

However, even with plenty of contrary evidence, I’m trying hard to remain optimistic about 2022. To the point that I’ve booked a short overseas trip for the late spring. Nothing says confident like a non-refundable deposit.

Here’s hoping the next transition to a new calendar is worthy of celebration for all of us. Even the willfully ignorant.

I hope Lucy is wrong about 2022, but after the past two years, any predictions I might make would be worthless.