Published on: December 23, 2021
Where did the time go?
2021 is just about over. But as far as MNB is concerned, the year is done.
In some ways, I'm glad to move on to 2022. The last couple of years have been stressful and problematic, and I'm hoping that the new year will be less so. (Not confident. But hopeful.)
On the other hand, there is something unnerving with how fast the calendar pages seem to flip, especially when you get to a certain point in your life. For some reason, the faster the days and weeks go by, the longer it takes me to run four miles. Doesn't seem fair. It does seem inevitable.
MNB will be on vacation until Monday, January 3. I'm looking forward to hanging out at home with my family, of having time to read (I have an advance copy of the new Spenser novel, "Bye Bye Baby") watch movies (at home, natch, with Love, Actually definitely on the agenda), cook and eat and drink and take long walks with the dogs and even do some jogging (albeit a little more slowly than a year ago).
I like the holidays, at least the parts that have less to do with shopping and more to do with connecting to the people and places that are important. In his novel, "Silent Night," Robert B. Parker pretty much captured how I feel about it:
I liked the myth elements of Christmas. The way in which its origins reach back far beyond Jesus, to the rituals of people unknown to us. The celebration of the winter solstice. The coming of light in the darkest time. And with it the promise of spring to come and beginning again. I liked it better than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday, and safe and happy New Year … stay healthy … and I'll see you on Monday, January 3, 2022 with a fresh supply of news and hand-crafted commentary.
Sláinte! And, Nollaig shona dhuit!
