New Years Eve Musings

Another year about to end!!

I recall a time in the previous century, mid-1980's I think it was, of going through a short period where I would read of the thoughts of various doomsday types and wondered if we'd be going into the next century. But here we are now on the eve of 2016. And I've never seen one of those doomsdayers say, "Ooooppps I was wrong. Sorry about all that. I was just trying to sell a book. I didn't really have a clue or any actual knowledge." The doomday types seem to multiply each year yet they are increasingly wrong each year. They speak about the present being the worst of times in history but though I wasn't alive in the 1930's and 1940's, I still don't see the present matching the level of fear and anxiety that people must have been experiencing back then. The world may explode tomorrow but it won't be because any of them had inside knowledge.

That's one good thing about getting older ..... You learn how to better sift through all the bullshit that's presented to you.

For some reason, I feel amazed to be able to say that I've lived through sizeable portions of two centuries!! And though generally speaking, I'm an admitted glass half empty type, I'd really like to add one more century to that accomplishment.

I used to be wide awake at the midnight hour (it used to be early evening to me) and would annually open my door and listen to all the fireworks, honking horns, screams and other various sounds of the arriving new year but over the past year have been finding it more and more difficult to make it to that hour. Sleep just takes over. I didn't will it or anything, it just happened on its own. And I have to admit to enjoying the process ..... as long as I continue to wake up afterwards. 59 is the age of sleep!!

..... And more interesting dreaming as well! I've had several instances lately of falling asleep while in close proximity of the television and having dreams with guest appearances by whoever happens to be on the given program being played at the moment of nodding off. It doesn't always work that way or I'd occasionally be hanging with John Wayne and Errol Flynn in those sleep moments but it happens often enough with other voices that it's made a definite impression.

Remembering New Years Eve, 1999 ..... We were all so afraid that the lights would go out, the heat shut off and the tap water stop running at the stroke of midnight. When it didn't happen, we all laughed and made fun of it. They probably wouldn't admit it now but back then plenty of people were worried at not knowing what was going to happen.