Good Old Days (and Bad New Days)

Is it me or does the old days seem better and the new ones just suck like an Electrolux?

A few minutes ago, my neighbourhood's usual midnight serenity was interrupted by primal yells into the darkness of the night.

I could not make out the grievances that the various yellers were trying to convey.

Perhaps I was not the intended recipient of the message.

Perhaps they were not even grievances (though they were shouted out with considerable angst, but I could be mistaken).


And within a minute, the screams of joy over the "annus horribilis" or the hope of a new year had died away.

Joy (if it were that) seems fleeting. Or at least the expression of it.

Hope, if it springs eternal, does not seem to see fit to leave auditory evidence of its presence. Or passing.

And if it were a complaint, it is only natural.

A complaint to the universe

Every year on Dec 31st,
A silent complaint goes out to the universe
"Those 365 days that just went past
They went by just a little too fast!" 

"So if you could just slow things down
Or better yet, bring things back around
If we could just start again from the first
I'm sure we could not do that much worse." 

As the universe listens to our complaint
And tho it realised its fault it ain't
It grants us all a chance to cheer
365 new chances in a happy new year.

Every day is a new day, and with each new day, you have a chance. You have a day, maybe 24 hours, to do what you need to do to improve your life, your circumstances, your relationships, your future, your potential.

I spoke to someone recently, who was going through a separation. He had been trying to save his marriage, as much for himself as for his two kids. But from what I understand, his wife has made up her mind.

I advised him that whether he saves his marriage or not is not his sole decision or within his full control. He may want it with all his being, but there is another being with a different want. BUT, while that is out of his control, whether he is a good father to his two kids is COMPLETELY within his control. And he should focus on that. Make decisions and choices that are good for his children, that a good father would make.

That is what I mean by the opportunity to make the decisions or choices to improve your life.

This past year has been terrible at the global level - Brexit, Trump, TPP, China, and maybe even Duterte.

The only constant, is change. Eventually, we will look back to make sense of it all. But for all of us, life is lived forward.

I'd wish you happy new year, but...

Disclaimer: In wishing everybody a “Happy New Year”, the person making the wish (“Wisher”) is merely expressing an aspirational hope that the year ahead brings you some happiness however one may define happiness. The Wisher in no way warrants, guarantees, nor has a duty to ensure that all of the days of the New Year (“2015”), or most of the days of 2015, or even a substantial proportion of the days of 2015 will be happy days for you. Nor is the wisher implying that the year just past was mostly or even somewhat unhappy for you. Nor is the wisher suggesting that the year AFTER 2015 would be less happy. In fact, in wishing you “Happy New Year” the wisher is not implying that he has the power to make 2015 happy for you, or that if he had not wish you “Happy New Year”, you would not be happy. 

You know what? Happy New Year? That’s up to you. 

Instead, let me just say, I hope I have been a good friend to you in 2014, and I hope we had good times and made good memories. If not, apologies, and let’s make up for it in 2015.

(From a FB status in Jan 2015.)