Rant #2,053: The End

Today's Rant is this blog's final post for the year 2017.

Before you start to sing "Auld Lang Syne," please read what I am saying about this year.

It ain't pretty.

No, this year was not the greatest year that, personally, I have ever spent on this earth.

I have this thing hanging over my head--my current work and future work prospects--which really put a damper on 2017.

It really darkened my thinking on just about everything.

I know where I have been, I know where I am now, but I have no idea where I will be in 2018.

It pretty much took away the holiday season from me, because I felt that I had very little to celebrate during the year.

But I was wrong.

I have to look at the big picture, as well as the little picture, to see that I had a lot to be thankful for in 2017.

First of all, I have a great family.

My wife is A-number one, top of the top, best of the best.

My kids are generally good kids, and I think that we really lucked out with them.

My son continues to surprise us with the things he does, but generally in a positive way. I truly believe that one day soon, he will be able to do whatever he wants to do, and then some.

My daughter remains an enigma, but I will never lose faith in her. Never.

My parents continue to dazzle everyone they meet up with, with both 86 years of age but with the fortitude to look ahead.

And, lest we forget, I turned 60 in 2017, and it didn't hurt much to turn that stage of age.

We all have our health, thank goodness, and that makes things that much easier.

So yes, since 2017 continued all of these actions, yes, I have a lot to be thankful for in 2017.

But I still look forward to 2018 being a better year than 2017 was.

If my work situation can stabilize--and in spite of incredible odds, I think it will in 2018--then it will make the year even that much greater than 2017.

And if that can happen, then I can really put 2017 into the memory books, and not have to look back.

Admittedly, that is going to be hard to do, but I have to keep a positive vibe on this.

The odds are against me, and I will beat those odds.

Next year is an interesting year, because my wife and I will be married 25 years on June 6, and also, my daughter turns the big x-x in mid-May.

Those are two big occasions, and two happy occasions to look forward to, and I do look forward to them.

As I write this final blog for 2017, we have just a few more days for 2017 to be permanently retired to the history books, and we have a new year for us to experience, and personally, I do have a sense of renewal as 2018 comes to the fore.

So, while this blog entry is entitled "The End," it really is more of a beginning, or at least a point where the end comes and the beginning is right around the corner.

Listen, I have no idea what the future will bring, but I firmly believe that like that old Howard Jones song says, things can only get better.

And for the country and the world, I wish peace, whether it be between nations or just plain people.

Everybody is way too angry today. Let's all calm down in 2018, face our realities as a country, and as a world together, and not fight with each other.

It is simply counterproductive, and leads to more anger--and potentially a lot worse.

With that, I wish everyone a Happy New Year, and now, we can all sing "Auld Lang Syne" to our collective hearts' content.

Speak to you again on Tuesday ... in 2018!

(And I just heard the announcement that actress and comedienne Rose Marie passed away. She played Sally Rogers on one of the all-time classic sitcoms, "The Dick Van Dyke Show," filling one of the first strong female character roles outside the home on television.

Sure, she was always looking for "the man," but the Rogers character knew who she was, and knew what she wanted.

And while she was often lower on the totem pole than her male counterparts on the show, she was an equal to them in the writing of the fictional "The Alan Brady Show," and thus, the Rogers character was something unique on network TV at the time.

Marie was one of the early child stars, and extended her stardom by being pretty much a regular on the original "The Hollywood Squares" game show, usually answering questions again related to her finding the right guy.

I believe there is a movie out on her life, which was an interesting one to say the least, and she will be missed.

Being that "The Dick Van Dyke Show" is one of my faves, once I heard of her passing at age 94, I had to include her in this last post of 2017, because even though she is gone, Sally Rogers will live on in reruns through eternity, so again, in a strange way, her end is also a beginning.

Again, have a great holiday.)