Ponderings of 2017 and Wishes for You

2018 is only a few short weeks away, folks.

Let that sink in.  Really, let that sink in. 

I don’t know about anyone else but this is very hard for me to digest for some reason.  It’s not as if I bumped my head, slipped into a comatose state, and just now waking up to find that a year has leapt forward without me any wiser.  I’ve lived every day of 2017, I’m 100% certain.  I mean, have I really ‘lived’ it?  Probably not and that’s why I haven’t noticed it go by so seamlessly. 

I remember stepping into 2017 thinking it couldn’t be any worse than the torture that was '16.  I believe a lot of us thought this way.  Foolish us *snort*.  We collectively tempted fate and in the process were so very, very wrong.  We were quickly reminded to never, ever fuck with or lay a challenge down for Mistress Fate because she has always been up to prove that we silly mortals shall bow to her will eventually and subsequently be crushed under the heel of her stiletto’s without her blinking twice.  Hence she showed us her might, every single blasted day of this bloody year.

Coming out of 2017, I honestly feel like meat that’s been chucked into the food processor, blended thoroughly, taken out only to be thrown off a cliff, run over by stampeding bulls and finally flattened by a dozer after which rabid mongrels are nibbling on my carcass.  Yea, that’s not even an exaggeration.  Funny (not the haha kind) enough, I think there are lots of people who possibly feel the exact same way. 

After a year that was dominated by politics, particularly by the orange-hued baboon that was elected into the most powerful position in the world as the President of the United States of America, there has been nothing but instability.  Our society here is more divided than ever (or we are just truly understanding this thanks to social media).  Every day there is some new and disturbing news that dominates our conversations, relationships, lives.  Families have been torn apart, alliances ripped at the seam, and friendships destroyed, even marriages devastated and wrecked.  No bond has been spared in some way and subsequently new tribes have been formed.  Those you couldn’t imagine ever knowing, now are those who know you best.  Your closest buddies at one time are but mere strangers.  Holidays have become, more than ever, dreaded events that end up in tears, anger, throw-downs.  I’ve heard it all via Facebook particularly.  Twitter has become a medium of executing presidential decisions and media has been labeled ‘fake news’ if they do not fall in-line blindly with the Nazi’s in the White House.

We are watching strong allies turning their backs on us and rightfully so for in the meantime enemies have been lauded and courted, well respected individuals insulted, groups of different people disenfranchised, and sexual harassment the new normal.  People of color, women…hell any minority at all, are living with a constant sense of discomfort that any day something could/will happen to them and there will be no recourse available, they will find no justice or protection.  The very meaning of ‘equal rights’ has taken a sharp turn and nutjobs from supremacist/extremist groups have the ear of the POTUS.  Children are not safe and to abuse one seems no longer like such a big deal by those who follow the elephant as a political symbol.  People are scared of leaving their house because a concert could become a blood bath and certain human beings are not allowed to use a bathroom facility without restrictions. 

And while last year we were at the glorious cusp of having, for the first time ever, a woman finally leading this great nation, instead she was discredited and in stepped a man who consumes 4000 calories a day while mocking others for being unattractive and overweight.  Of course his caloric intake doesn’t define him as good or bad for a job but you know what does discredit this joke of a thing?  Him brazenly admitting that grabbing a woman by her pussy is A-Okay or him reminding us that the KKK folks have some ‘good folks’ in their midst or that transgender people should not be allowed to fight for their own country because you know, transgender.  Let’s not even speak about his thoughts regarding Muslims or his apparent and blatant misogyny…but the list goes on and on and ON.

So…yea where is the ray of sunshine and hope?  Where is the glimmer of radiance amongst all the darkness?  To be honest, there wasn’t much, not on the world stage and not even on a personal level for me.  Watching another year of unemployment come and go without that status change has depressed me (what else can I feel about it?) and just the general lack of hope has effected everything and everyone around me.  This year was nothing but a struggle, plain and simple.  I actually do hope that someone out there who is reading this has had it a lot better, somehow, and made 2017 one for their own personal wins.  I just can’t claim the same.

With 2018 breathing down our necks, I’m still anxious and my naturally pessimistic self does not believe things will vastly improve because…well that orange pumpkin asshat will still be in office and for those of you who is thinking ‘impeachment’, just stop.  His side will never entertain that (even if they want it so bad they can taste it themselves) at all right now because they do not want the Senate to flip in 2018 back to Democratic control and if anything happens to the ginormous joke in the oval office, his supporters will turn on the Repubs like a pack of wild dogs.  The red party will continue to bite their tongues and support him at least until November of 2018, after that it’ll be a huge toss-up but if they have anything on him then?  It’ll be more like 2019, IMHO, that something like impeachment may become reality.  I for one will be working hard to make that happen and if not him, then flip the majority to lean Democratic.  We need to gain back balance and as it is, everything is terribly lopsided.  Until that thing is booted from DC nothing will be better, absolutely nothing (trust me, I’m not being excessively negative about this, it’s a fact) as division continues, anger and ugliness remains to spew and the worst of humanity will be in full view for the world to behold and the violence…I shiver to think.

Now that I’ve done my best to depress every single person who has thus read this entry to this point, let me at least say something positive…

Umm…so I’ve scanned my brain through the last year to see if there was anything positive I could reference but you know what?  Nope.  And just to be toats honest, I think next year will equally be a complete clusterfuck.  That being said, instead of making a bunch of nonsense up in hopes of sounding ‘glass half full’, I’d rather convey some wishes I have for you, all my family, friends, readers, anyone, which should make reading the rest of this blog a bit more uplifting.  Heck, just writing what I have above depressed the shit out of me so yea, lemme try this... 

Happiness – Certainly a catch all and so basic yet missing in so many people’s lives.  Yea, this one.  Simple but nonetheless needs to be said. 

Success – However it’s defined to you.  The ‘to you’ is the important part the prior sentence because no two individual’s definition is the same, right?  Whatever it is that brings you pride, smiles, the feels, that’s the success I want for you so whether it’s getting that degree you’ve been working so diligently to obtain or creating the perfect cupcake recipe or even shooting and scoring a ball of paper into a trashcan, I hope that success is all yours and you can have a moment of preening from it.

Love – Indeed most will read this and immediately equate it to the romantic fluttery hearts sort.  Nah, that’s not what I’m speaking of at all.  I just want for you the feeling of love, the warm that accompanies it, the calm that often walks hand-in-hand with it to come and jump you around some corner.  That’s the love I want to find you, it can be with family, friends, lover, parakeet, whatever…may it beat you into a lovely pulp.

Introspection – This is actually one of the hardest things to do because god knows I’ve gone through years of learning and employing this trait.  It wasn’t always successful and dicey at times but ultimately now I’m quick at being introspective.  It’s helped me grow/evolve (definitely my 2017 word of the year) and face those things about myself which I know I need to change and indeed work hard at changing.  I’m still struggling with it, FYI.  But this I do hope for you also.  Don’t get to the end of your life realizing that you could have fixed something about yourself that you had the power to repair yet didn’t because you were in the dark about yourself while others saw it as clear as day.  While this is an odd wish, I think all of us should eventually get it.

Patience – Oh wow, if you spend more than 5 seconds online, you know this is super in backorder.  In fact, from what I’ve witnessed, it’s damn near extinct.  I’m not sure where it went, not sure who stole it from the lot of us but it’s completely MIA.  May you find yours and for the love of all that’s right in the world, use it.  Don’t just put it in a box and forget about it.  In a world where there is no shortage of opinions, we need to be patience with young and old alike while not trying to punch either in the face. 

Peace – I can say ‘world peace’ but I suppose that’s a given although I am equally aware that the likeliness of that happening is akin to the orange menace telling the truth…IT’S NOT HAPPENING.  Instead I wish you peace in your own life (if not whatever surrounds you) and most importantly what’s in your own mind.  May you find that quiet within even while everything around you is chaotic.  May those doubts, anger, sadness, stress, negatives quieten and find rest while you tap into your positive, to your joy which leads you to a simply better place mentally. 

Tolerance – I believe this is the single most important thing that I can wish for you.  While the other things are, of course kinda key, this one though will help on so many levels.  If you, and everyone, can learn to exercise tolerance then just imagine the world we could be living in?  Oh I know this sounds so kumbaya but at the end of the day, who doesn’t want this?  Here are a few things to think about to help you out:
1.  Be tolerant of those who do not share your opinion for they have the right to theirs as you have the right to yours. 
2.  Be tolerant of those who do not look like you.  Each of you are individuals anyhow and not meant to look alike and if you did, how boring would this world be?
3.  Be tolerant of differences in lifestyle choices for as you have chosen to live your life and shouldn’t be questioned regarding your decisions, neither should anyone else's as long as no harm is coming to anyone. 
4.  Be tolerant of ideologies that does not match yours for we forget that most often experiences are the very things that lead us to believe what we do and shape us as who we are.  If you've never walked a day in someone else's life, then well...you know, just do your own thing and let them do theirs. 
5.  Be tolerant that someone else’s POV could possibly be right, even as yours is right (to you).   And while I shouldn’t have to say this but also try to see where you could, just maybe, be wrong.  

Look, there’s a lot more I can wish so you can go ahead and fill in the blanks.  If I went to list them all out this would be a bloody book, not a blog and as it is, this is way longer than I intended (as all of my blogs tend to be…hmmm…).  Just know that at the end of the day, I want good to come to you, that’s all.  I’m not too nice to want this, I’m just human.  I want this.  I am greedy for all the things above so I’m just putting out there what I want back.  And if somewhere along the way you get any of these things than I have found the first thing that I listed, happiness. 

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. 
Happy Chanukah to those who celebrate.
Happy Holidays to every single one of my readers whether you’re celebrating something or not.

I pray that 2018 be way less an epic mess than 2017.