A New Year and New Beginnings

Good news! The earth’s wobbling has, once again, brought us to the start of another year and for those who mark its beginning, it provides a moment to reflect on years gone by. Well-worn memories of dear friends and good times flicker past like old newsreels shaking loose more memories still; some mellow, some sweet and maybe just a few tinged with bittersweet.

After a salute to Auld Lang Syne comes the chance to look ahead and identify a few areas where we might initiate changes. Lists of resolutions have become a corny cliché, but it never hurts to revisit long-held ambitions that have yet to pan out, an old habit to put aside or a new one to set in place. For many of us who are increasingly aware of the finite nature of time, we might prioritize a commitment to nourish old connections that may have languished or, perhaps, attend to some fences in need of mending. There is nothing like the quiet of a bleak mid-winter winter night to engage one’s mind and put some meat on these bones.

So, embrace the New Year. Take it for what it can be, a shiny new opportunity to jump start new efforts. I have heard that quality, not quantity, is the ticket here. And, to all, best wishes for good health and clarity for the New Year and may 2011 be, for you, a year of achievement, prosperity and good fortune.

John

12/31/2010

Be Careful of What You Fear

In the early days of the run up to the 2008 presidential election, we worried endlessly at the impact of a Hillary Clinton presidency, which appeared to be more and more inevitable. That is, until we came to realize, a dollar short and a day late, that a little known, and embarrassingly inexperienced, Illinois senator was in the process of winning the Oval Office. Hillary's candidacy evoked a litany of concerns. For example, she would surely try and re-introduce a big national health care program. But one of the unique concerns regarding her possible election was the return of Bill Clinton to the White house, albeit as first dude. How would that play out?

As the saying goes, the rest is fast becoming history. We didn't get Hillary after all. Instead we got this unknown, ill-prepared cipher who quickly took the country into a massive left turn as he strives to turn the good old U.S. into Sweden. More astute observers were quick to recall that the new president had clearly telegraphed his political orientation. I thought of his conversation with Joe the Plumber where he called for "re-distributing the wealth", and had to admit that the signs had indeed been there. However, as a small part of our futile efforts at finding a silver lining in this cloud, it was noted that at least Bubba wouldn't be back at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue anytime soon.

So imagine my chagrin (don't worry, my family hides the sharp-edged objects)when I happened upon the above photo on Drudge. In case you have been out of touch and need to get a back story for this photo, click HERE to get the gory details. Yes, it is as bad as it looks.