Happy New Year

Here we are, on the verge of something called 2024.

I'm not sure what to think. But here goes.

For a person like myself who was born in 1951, the very concept of 2024 seems, well, otherworldly. Maybe even unattainable. It seems like the very date could be someone else's vision of science fiction, and maybe from the perspective of an earlier decade, that could have been true. Perhaps in the way George Orwell saw 1984 when he published his dystopian novel in 1949. But here we are, about to live in our rapidly advancing future, coming at us minute by minute.

So how am I to negotiate my way through this future fog?

Good question. 

I want to say I'll take it as it comes, because that seems to be the most logical approach to me. It's the way I've always done things, I think. I mean, life comes zipping at you from different angles like a variety of pitches from a Cy Young winner. A year ago at this time, I was getting ready to have my second gall bladder surgery, even though I had the gall bladder removed years earlier (there was a remnant that still produced gall stones). Who saw that coming?

One thing I'll do is still go to the gym, arriving as I do every morning at 5 a.m., as I have for the past eight years. It's not so much an annual resolution to lose weight (well, it kinda is) as it is a way for me to keep my overall health in check. So far, all my wellness exams to date have pleased my doctor.

But there are no guarantees, of course. Future fog.

Having said that, I guess the best that we can do is try to prepare ourselves the best that we can. That's why my wife and myself have all our current vaccinations: Covid, flu, RSV – we took all of our shots in the same day. In the same arm. And, as it turns out, we are part of the mere 18 percent (as of Dec. 9) that has taken the Covid update. So is it any surprise Covid is once again on the rise?

I'm seeing more and more people voluntarily wearing masks again, and I think Kim and I will do the same on our next grocery store visit. We have attended several seasonal social functions, but went with the knowledge that the crud is still out there, so we try to limit our exposure. We still try to observe the 6-foot proximity rule, too, when we can. It only makes sense.

And, of course, 2024 is an election year. We need to prepare ourselves for that, too. Arm ourselves with actual knowledge and not conspiracy theories. Decide which candidate prefers democracy or fascism (and learn the difference) and then the nation can move forward.

Ready or not, here it comes: 2024.

Happy New Year.