December 31st is hardly an appropriate day for starting something new, although my mental to-do list for tomorrow continues to grow. Today is a day for looking back and reflecting, certainly not for making headway on that book I keep meaning to write or for settling into that new healthy lifestyle.
It has been a slow year for my blog, which may or may not mean that the past year has been uneventful but most definitely means I did not have to scroll down very far to see what I was up to last year at this time. As it turns out, I was pretty much up to the same things at the end of last December that I am up to now: missing the kids who have already come and gone, enjoying the one who is still in town, worrying over a lethargic dog, experimenting with various odor and stain removers for carpet and upholstery. And, of course, looking ahead optimistically to a clean slate for the year to come. Plus ca change.
An overabundance of senior moments makes it difficult for me to identify any particularly memorable moments from the last twelve months, but I am certain there had to be at least a few. I hate to think I spent 365 days doing nothing but wait for some annual comings and goings and mysterious canine ailments and stain removal and air freshening, but for the life of me I am struggling to come up with anything more interesting. I decided to flip on a morning news show, which I rarely do anymore because there never seems to be any news going on. As luck would have it, the year in pictures montage was about to begin.
Wow, what a year. "Polar vortex" actually sounds exciting when you don't have to hear about it and you cannot even recall where you left your shovel. ISIS, ebola, the Ukraine, the thaw with Cuba, football players abusing women, Bill Cosby abusing women, medal controversies at the Olympics, police shooting citizens, citizens shooting police, racial tensions, politicians barking across the aisle, airplanes dropping into the ocean -- it's difficult to believe the morning news shows had time for so many segments about hair and makeup. It's the "In Memoriam" piece that really knocks the wind out of me, though. So many people who seemed to live enviable lives are, suddenly, gone. If you had told me last year that there would be no more Robin Williams, no more Philip Seymour Hoffman, no more Joan Rivers, no more Lauren Bacall, no more Shirley Temple, no more Maya Angelou (who will balance out Beyonce at the next presidential inauguration?) I would not have believed you. If you had told me that countless other people I haven't really thought about for a long time but just assumed would live forever would be gone I would have been skeptical. If you had told me that Mickey Rooney had died this year I would have sworn that he had already died a long time ago. Maybe that was Mickey Mantle.
It gives one pause. I look forward each year to the final New York Times Magazine, filled with remembrances of not-so-famous people who did or said or endured extraordinary things. It is, in large part, a celebration of unsung heroes, and a reminder of how much of a mark mere mortals can leave in such a short period of time.
Today, as I look ahead, I reflect upon the unsung heroes and the unsung moments of my daily existence. Lots of things have happened between December of last year and now, even though I am still spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about my kids and cleaning up after my dog and planning to finish that book and start that healthy lifestyle.
I may not be able to articulate why, but my life this year has been pretty darn exciting. And if you don't believe me, just close your eyes and blow.
No comments:
Post a Comment