2004. I don’t think the stream of cars ever stopped on the 5 freeway last night. I spent New Year’s Eve sick at home; nothing to dampen my spirits though. Thanks to TV you can always have company, even if your choice of it is limited. Dick Clark and later Conan O’Brian; I often wonder if those people enjoy working on New Year’s Eve. Dick Clark has been hosting his “Rockin’ New Year’s Eve” for the last 32 years. That means the man hasn’t had a private celebration of the holiday for 32 years. He’s a public man, I guess. Either that or a hologram.
So what’s 2004 going to be about? Courage, say some. My old roommate is going to try to quit smoking. Then, of course, there is the cliché resolution that floats around everywhere—people plan to lose weight, look better.
Time. That’s what 2k4 is going to be about for me. In whatever form it takes, time is fleeting; the end of the day at work when my to do list stares back at me unchecked, the evenings that fly by with a lot of hurrying but nothing to show for it, the weekends where Sunday evening seems to follow Friday directly. Even more than all this, though, I mean taking time. Resting, listening, getting away, doing nothing. The world is a crazy place, driving us all forward at the fastest pace we can muster and ever making us go faster. Sometimes we just need to step off the track and sit under a tree, stop and smell the roses so to speak. Time. It need not be our enemy. Remember, clocks are a man-made invention.
So, to 2004. I toasted with no one last night, so I’ll toast with you today, my friend. To 2004 and all the beauty, wonder and opportunity each day of it will hold.
Cheers.