I watched New York’s colorful, glittering ball drop on television, then brushed my teeth and went to bed around 10pm. My daughter and her family, a full 9 hours away in Venice, Italy, had already celebrated and sent photos to the rest of the family, so it didn’t matter as much to me to actively see midnight here on the West Coast.
Life is funny like that on our earthly globe, reminding me that time is fluid. What matters most are our connections with family and friends and, ultimately, our relationship within our immediate community—a good place to begin what is sure to be a tumultuous year ahead.
To four of my dearest friends who have embodied a special women’s group for more than 20 years, I sent an early morning email. In it I expressed my heart’s aspirations for each of them:
*holding hope and trust for successful treatment and, consequently, freedom from cancer for you, sweet, brave friend;
*looking forward to the shared joy of the birth of your sure-to-be adorable little granddaughter, beaming Yaya;
*wishing for you more home-warming as you and your husband continue to make your rebuilt home [after losing it two years ago in one of California’s horrible wildfires] an especially personal abode, reflecting who you are both individually and as a couple.
As for me, all I want is continued health and gentle aging as I move forward in life, mother-of-three, Grams to 7 precious, totally individual earthlings.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉🥂🎈💕
While bracing for 2025, I am simultaneously strangely comforted in the knowledge that most human dwellers on this wobbly planet are closer in spirit than broadcast news portrays. Social norms vary widely; love for family is universal. Tears are salty; nostalgia is inevitable. Bravery comes in many forms; modesty often prevails. Ancient footprints defy historically accepted perceptions; mankind repeatedly survives. Democracy is challenged; time embodies restitution.
Today promises to be cold and clear; rain comes again on Friday. As I continue to slowly downsize in preparation for my inevitable move into senior housing, I feel peaceful, hopeful. Though the earlier years of my life were tumultuous, my final years are proving to be tranquilly unclouded and pleasantly routine. Life often has a way of correcting itself if one leans into hope, knowing that hope is more than emotional wistfulness. It is the courageous action of the heart towards recovery and accountability.
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