PlazaJen: Passion Knit

Every New Year's Eve, I say, "This year is gonna be the best year ever!" Mostly because I believe that optimism and staying positive are powerful forces in what you draw in, despite all the bad things that happen to good people out there.

I was thankful driving home that no drunk drivers plowed into me, and I kept telling myself the fact I was driving at 11:45 p.m. was reducing my odds, because anybody getting schnockered was going to stick around until midnight before getting behind the wheel. To the residents in the apartments just south of 85th & Holmes: thank you for weakening my bladder muscles just a tiny bit more. The Depends people are waiting for me, someday, and we can attribute your 8,000 firecrackers going off to a tiny reduction in muscle control on my part. Seriously, I thought I was under attack. I'll admit, I was paranoid about stray bullets with the inevitable midnight volley of celebratory gunfire that seems to happen in every city.

Growing up in Iowa, the only stuff you could buy was sparklers, and those were only around on the 4th of July. Moving to Missouri was an eye-opener to me, where it seems "professional grade" fireworks are abundant, while expensive, and every class and age of person avails themselves of these things. My Iowan upbringing leaves me VERY skittish and content to only hold a sparkler, thank you very much, and so I still react like a war veteran when things are exploding around me.

I made it home a few minutes after midnight, and got my New Year's Eve kisses from Polly, who was delighted to be out of her kennel and more than happy to oblige. Now, we have a bright, shiny new year spread out in front of us, with so many things that can happen. I'm excited for what the future will bring, I'm happy with what I have right now, and I'm content to put 2004 behind me, for it ended a bit more sorrowfully than I would have liked. I will always remember my friend Becki, and the life she led, and will be comforted that she lives on in so many of our hearts, and that her physical suffering ended. I have a lot of things to work on in my life, but I don't really do resolutions - they seem fraught with the perfection/failure cycle, and there's a better chance for success if I simply put one foot in front of the other and not make sweeping life reformations that crumble inside of two weeks.

For all my friends out there, happy new year to you! May it be filled with everything you love, as little sadness as possible, good health & good fortune, and for my knitting friends, excellent yarns to be discovered and knit, and may they all be on sale!