Friday, January 1, 2021

New Year 2021

It's 5AM on New Year's Day now. That's 5AM in central Virginia, which is important because it's 2AM in California and midnight in Hawaii. We have time zones because Earth is round, so it can't be noon everywhere or midnight everywhere. If Earth were flat, it would be less complicated, because there would be only one time zone: Earth Standard Time.

Today begins a new year. I'm reminded of Cass Elliot's song, New World Coming.

There's a new world coming
And it's just around the bend
There's a new world coming
This one's coming to an end...

Yes, 2020 is fading. It's probably still 2020 in Elbonia, but the rest of us are waking up in 2021.

New Year's Eve was a miserable day. I shouldn't call any day I live through "miserable," but it was. It was chilly, it was wet, it was dreary. I felt depressed all day. Today's forecast is for another chilly, wet, dreary day, but maybe I'll light a fire in the fireplace and things won't be as depressing. Maybe I'll keep the Venetian blinds closed so that I can't see the dreary day, and inside my house there will be warmth and flickering firelight. I'll read a book. No, I'll watch TV. Oh hell no, I'll watch YouTube videos. And I'll munch on something tasty.

It's a New Year, let's all treat ourselves to a day of pleasure. All except for those who have to work, and they have my sympathy. When I was a boy, I delivered the morning paper on a bicycle every morning including New Year's Day. Some days were snowy, and many days were rainy, and many of those rainy days were in winter. Icy cold rainwater would run down my plastic-coated raincoat and onto my bare hands and in a short while my hands would feel freezing cold and numb, like I was dipping them in ice water. It was Miserable with a capital M. I don't think you can pay today's kids enough money to do that kind of job. Assuming that kind of job still exists, which is a big assumption.

Have a good New Year's Day, y'all. Have a good time—eat, drink, and be lighthearted—and take care of yourselves this year.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year

I suspect your feelings for yesterday were mirrored by many, many people. No one can measure the depth and breath of someone's misery unless they describe it --- you did a good job.

Light your fire and plan a nice meal -- call a friend ---

Today will be a much better day !! I promise you !!

LL

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear that you had a misserable day yesterday. We all have good and bad days but there are many people that are worst than you. I hope today will be better and don't keep the blinds closed, that will make you feel worst. See the light, enjoy your day, there is only one life and the most important thing is for you to be in peace and happy. This is the first day of 2021 and many good things will come for you this year.
Bonne annee