It’s a New Year All Over Again

Another Christmas down, one more New Year to follow.  Football games to watch through early January. Then the Christmas tree comes down and the lights and ornaments stored in the “Christmas Closet” until next year.

We measure our lives by special days.  Actually, by the special moments of special days.  Weddings, anniversaries, holidays, and other memorable occasions, all provide distinct moments, unique to each of us, but a basic experience shared throughout the world.  I find comfort in that.

On Christmas day my family asked me if I was excited by looking forward to 2022.  My answer is always about the same.

I live in the moment, which means that I pay attention to my situation and the people I’m with.  I wring as much meaning and satisfaction that I can from every experience. I don’t spend my life peeking over the shoulder of right now, trying to discern some meaning or pleasure from what I think may or may not happen another time. I hug the immediacy of here rather than the distance of there and then.

I also reserve the right to celebrate anything I want, whenever I want.  I don’t have to wait for a holiday to give myself, or others, a gift.  Before Christmas I celebrated for two weeks with four orders of garlic cheese toast from the Smoke House in Burbank.  This has always been one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

My best wishes to you for an outstanding year, which can start whenever you like, with or without garlic cheese toast (or toast of a different sort on New Year’s Eve).

As some of you may have noticed, my title echoes a well-known quote from Yogi Berra, who said, “It’s Deja Vu all over again.”

Hang in there.  A new beginning is about to present itself.

Just like every other day.

Alan