Happy New Year 2013

It was the best of times, it was the worst... No, that's been done before.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot... Really? Kind of cliche.
Storm cloud, silver lining... No
The sun'll come out, tomorrow... No, no
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have... No, no, NO theme songs!

A new year seems like the time one should post a blog entry if one considers oneself a blogger. Clearly, I'm not one to post on any sort of regular basis. But I've already skipped a Christmas post. Dare I stay silent on another major holiday?

We've got a few days of 2013 under our belts. How's it going so far? We could all count ourselves lucky that the world didn't end on December 21, if you're into believing doomsday prophecies. I'm sure there will be another date announced soon when it's predicted that everything will come to an end. Surely there is something to be said for living each day as if it's your last. Make sure people you love know how you feel, don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, that sort of thing. And depending on your personal beliefs, you may be almost looking forward to an afterlife without the trials of this world.

The last year may have been terrible for you. I have to believe that virtually everyone has been touched in some way by a bad economy, by illness, by the death of a loved one, or by some sort of emotional trauma. Lots of people have suffered in many or all of those ways. (If you can honestly say that nothing bad happened in your life last year, then stop what you're doing right now and count your blessings!) Every January 1 has a way of giving us hope that the next year can only get better. There's no place to go but up. It just "feels" like a fresh start. Lots of people make resolutions to improve their lives starting on that date. Break a bad habit, start a good habit, change a routine, do more of one thing and less of something else. To me, that's always felt like too much pressure. If I'm going to change something about my life, it's not going to be dictated by the date on the calendar.

You also have to admit, however, that there are some things to celebrate about the previous 12 months. I tried to remind myself of that with my Thanksgiving post. I have water to drink and food to eat. I have friends and family that I love and with whom I can share my life. I may have shed tears at times during the year, but I was able to smile and laugh more often than not. If nothing else, I realize that it could always be worse...and I'm glad it's not.

So what's my point when considering a "new" year? I actually wasn't sure what to say about it when I started writing. Then I read a quotation from J.R.R. Tolkien, via Gandalf in "The Fellowship of the Ring."

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

A fresh calendar page, a new year. The old year is done and gone. Now is the time given to us. Let's decide to spend it the best way we can. Change the world, change your address, change your diet, or change your socks. Make a difference, make a fuss, make a phone call, or make your bed. Take a trip, take a minute, or take help. Only you can decide what to do with your time. Wouldn't it be nice to make your life, or someone else's, better next December 31 than it was on January 1?

Wishing you a wonderful 2013!