New Year's Eve.
The end of the year that was.
Personally, 2018 had one thing over 2017 going for it. I hope I'm not jinxing anything as the day is not over but as of now, I've been a patient in a hospital exactly zero times in 2018 compared to 5 times in 2017. So I've got that going for me.
2018 saw Andrea and I pay off the mortgage on the Fortress of Ineptitude.
And then we entered into a new debt with a new car (see yesterday's post). Yes, the American dream lives on.
For my wife Andrea, 2018 had the challenges of the loss of another beloved member of her family with the death of her great aunt Emily and the loss of her job. I have not spoken of the latter problem in this space before now but her employer of over 2 decades decided this fall they no longer needed her services. Par for the course: corporate America still expects so much from their workers but there is no loyalty in return.
So far, we're OK. I mean, OK enough to get a new car so shed no tears for us. We are blessed to have what we have and I do not take it for granted. Still, a new job for Andrea would bring some welcome stability to our lives going forward and it would help give her renewed purpose. She's kind of been at loose ends for the last couple of months.
We tried to have fun this year. We went out and saw 15 movies in the theater this year; all but one gets a thumbs up from me.
Black Panther
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- *This is the one without the thumbs up.
In addition to the pop culture fun, we had sadly the sucking
sound of the marshland of incompetence and corruption
surrounding Donald Trump still with us as the year ends. If
there is any good news to report on the political front, the
cracks are starting to show through the facade of Li'l Donnie's
not so artful dodge. Hell, when Fox News is throwing shade at
Trump, that can't be good for the ol' moron in chief. I hopeful
that 2019 will find more light being shown on the dark corners
of Trump's inanity and lack of moral rectitude.
We still faced repeated examples of gun violence in American
again in 2018. But in the wake of the tragic mass shooting at
the Parkland, FL high school in February, we saw young
people, survivors, who seized the moment and inspired a
passionate level of political involvement not seen before. It
was a movement that carried through the mid-term elections.
From tragedy, a movement was born. From death, demands
for accountability and responsibility came to life and refusedto
be ignored.
2018 finds me cautiously hopeful. There were good things
and bad things and I think, on balance, good things
outweighed the bad.
Let's hope and pray that 2019 can deliver more good than
bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment