Why Is It ...

… that when someone asks, “Who got you smiling,” I always say, “The voices in my head just cracked a joke. Leave us alone.”

… that after this past year I wanna give myself a big hug because I’m still standing.

… that Family Dollar always seems to have just one cashier. Where’s the rest of the family?

… that winter doesn’t bother me; I also become cold and dark after 4PM.

… that one of the weirdest things about being an adult is having a favorite stove top burner; no one ever talks about it but y’all know it’s true and y’all have one.

… that it’s always, “How was work?” and never, “Quit and I’ll support you.”

… that I still miss that part of 2020 when it was illegal for anyone to come near me.

…that when I yell at birds in the street to move so they don’t get run over is kind of how I see the universe watching me live my life.

… that I know I would not waste away in Margaritaville; in fact, I would thrive!

Happy New Year

I love a New Year.

A new start, so to speak, and the thought of infinite possibilities, even though there is still a darkness of anger and racism and greed all around us. But, maybe I am a bit of a Pollyanna, I believe times are changing; people are growing tired of billionaires whining about witch hunts, tired of religion as politics, tired of faith being used as a weapon against women. Tired of another round of battles inflicted by the right on women, and people of color and immigrants and LGBTQ+ people.

Think of what might happen of women and people of color, immigrants and LGBTQ+ Americans, along with our allies, all stood up and voted every single time; think of the changes we could make in this country … equality, fairness, acceptance.

And, while the numbers may be adding up faster than I ever thought possible, I like the idea of being another year older, and another year wiser; okay, maybe not older. As I once told my sister who thought I never seemed to age, The Gays aren't allowed to age, so I don't mind the extra year under the belt … as long as it doesn’t puddle over my belt.

I look back on the past year, remembering the good times, the hard times, the bad and sad times, because they are all apart of life. I still wake up every morning saying Hello to Tuxedo and whispering Goodnight atm the end of the day; I still miss the Pocket Dog racing through the house like a small black blur; and I miss MaxGoldberg, heavy as a cinderblock, sleeping on me at night.

And yet while looking back, I also look forward to doing more, and learning more, thinking more, reading more, loving more, laughing more. These aren't resolutions, as I don't make resolutions because when I do, they last about as long as it takes me to say ‘resolution.’ These are promises and wishes, hopes and dreams, positive thoughts that 2024 will be a far better year for all of us, around the world, than 2023.

So, I'll leave you all to have a good day, with a repost of some New Year’s Day thoughts:

The more things change :::blibbety blah blay bloo touch me::: the more they remain the same:  I am a believer in happiness. My parents raised their children to believe that happiness is all we really get in life, and that everything else follows. 

Things don't make us happy, at least not for long. And you can't expect people to make you happy either; you either have it to begin with, and others add to it, or you don't. If you don't believe that, just look around at all the sad, angry, lonely faces you pass on the street. Happiness is something you possess, that you give out, and get back. But we are each responsible for our own happiness; responsible to find it, to hold on to it; to nurture it and share it.

Without happiness in ourselves, for being ourselves, how can we expect to live fully and completely. We suffer loss every day; I've had my share and, sad to say, I know there's more to come, but I feel happy in the memories I have of those who've gone on ahead. I still, even as I reread this from years past, mourn the loss of our MaxGoldberg; that one hit me hard because he was pure happiness, and now he’s gone.

And, yes, I know it's hard to be happy when times are hard … 2020 and 2021 anybody? Sure, we have a new, better, smarter, kinder, more compassionate president, and he’s gotten a lot done, but there’s still more on his plate which makes me wonder if things will ever get better. I like to think it will, though it might not be the better I was thinking it would be, but I have seen tough times and I have seen it get better, so I will remain hopeful, because of the things I have learned.

I learned, from my Father the Teacher, never to stop learning and reading and speaking and, well, ranting; the more you learn, the more you grow, and understand, the more happiness you can accept. I've also learned that the best thing you can do for the people you love is to be there, when they need you.

I learned, from my Mother the Nurturer, to care for things, for people, for animals, for life; to make each day better for those around us, and to make it better for ourselves in the end. I have learned to hold family close; never let them go; whether it's the family you were born into, or the family you created out of necessity; hold on to them, and protect them, and love them. 

I learned, from my Sister the Temper, to speak up; why sit quietly and let things happen to you? Stand up and demand the things you want, the happiness you want. Don't settle. 

I learned, from my Brother … well, let’s just say he taught me that people change dramatically … ignore science, even after contracting COVID; that people who never voted will support a traitorous rapist racist. He taught me that people change, and not always for the better, but we are all human and perhaps one day he will change again.

I learned from the Blog People that, while we all may have different lives and different backgrounds and different ideas, we can communicate and listen and learn. I thank all of you for your blogs and the things you say that make me laugh and smile, cry and rant, learn, and even sometimes sing and dance.

I learned from the pets we lost in the last year or so ... MaxGoldberg, Tuxedo, and Ozzo ... and the ones we've lost through the years that sheer, unmitigated joy and pure unconditional love are real things to be accepted and given right back. 

I learned, from my Husband the Optimist, how to actually let go and be in love and damn the torpedoes; how to be open and honest and know that it won't hurt; how to love yourself, and everyone around you; how to take what you’re given, the good and the bad, and live with it, and adapt to it. His eyesight continues to worsen with each passing year and yet he soldiers on, telling people that he may be losing his eyesight, but not his vision.

So, I once again realize that I have learned to be happy; I've earned happiness and I am responsible for keeping it. It is, after all, all you really get in life.

Happy. New Year.

xoxo

Bob, Carlos, Consuelo and Rosita.