Happy Holidaze

Christmas is over and the eve of a new year is tomorrow, but things just seem same old same old to me. For the first time in a long time, I didn't enjoy the holidays. I have always loved the fall and winter seasons, even the 14 years I spent in South Florida with 85 degree weather in December didn't surpress my holiday spirit, but somehow, this year, that spirit just escaped me.

I believe that its because, at 45, I've come to some realizations that are a little hard for me to digest. I've always been a realist, but I also have always believed in the silver lining around the cloud, that justice will always prevail, and that within every person there is good.Call it Pollyanna, but my heart has always believed that. This year unfortunately, some Scrooge ran off with my rose-colored glasses so I am forced to see the world as it really is and not how I think it is.

So without my skewed perception, what do I now realize? I realize that the majority of people are only interested in things that will benefit them directly; that not every one is happy for you, even when they say they are; that the people that are the closest to you cause you the most pain, and last but not least, that the world is full of imperfections that cannot be erased by the goodness in someones heart.

Being cynical has never been a good trait in my opinion, but I can certainly see now why people become that way. So for 2008, I'll only make one resolution and that is NOT to become one of those cynical people. I promise this because, no matter what, deep down I still feel hopeful. Hopeful is a town I must live in so that I can raise my daughter not to be cynical, so that I can still walk outside and appreciate a sunset, so that I can smile at my neighbors and so that I can still continue to love my very dysfunctional extended family. Hopeful is the only reason to see a new year, because with hope, things can ALWAYS change. I hope that 2008 brings you Peace, Love, Prosperity and a set of rose-colored glasses to call your own.