Holiday Wishes

This past year has been full of trials, tribulations, challenges, adventures, losses and victories. Like so much of life, it has been a mixed bag, which leaves me with a choice: As this year draws to a close, do I choose to see the glass as half empty or half full?

My current state is similar to that of so many people around the country, and my holiday season is being tempered by “real world” challenges, low cash reserves, and worry about the future. My credit debt is high. My savings are nearly gone. And I have no job security, which often makes me toss and turn at night, wondering if I will join the ranks of those losing their homes.  

Still, the Winter season is a time of reflection, and of thanksgiving. As I write this I have to remind myself that the Solstice has passed and the days are starting, ever so slowly, to get longer. We have a new President to look forward to, one who knows the difference between “nuclear” and “nucular”, and who seems to think that science is not a bad thing after all. The recent troubles on Wall Street have caused gas prices to drop dramatically. And my dogs still love me in spite of the fact that I leave them alone twelve or more hours a day, commuting to work halfway across Los Angeles County so I can keep them in doggy kibble.

As I said, a mixed bag, filled with very real fears and equally real gifts.

In these dark times, at the darkest point of the year I look ahead and I want to believe that positive change is coming, that 2009 will be a better year for me and for my friends and loved ones. I want to hope that the insanity of the past eight years will fade away, and that as a nation we can leave divisiveness and fear-mongering behind us. I want to trust that I will find work, and that I will be able to build a new and better life for myself through my own efforts, without handouts, loans or charity from friends, family or government agencies.

I guess in the long run it all comes down to faith.

Whatever your faith may be, wherever you may be from, I hope that this coming year is one that helps to renew your faith, whether that faith is in God, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, or in the basic goodness of humankind. That’s my holiday wish. That the new year brings us all reasons to believe and hope and look forward to the future with excitement and joy.

Happy Holidays!

~B~

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