HAPPY NEW YEAR 2004-2025

I’m ending the year by harking back to a couple of sentiments I’ve written in the recent past, that still hold true today.

First off, I began 2024 by writing about how important kindness is to me.  And now the year is ending with so many pals being…kind to me! I’m loving it.

In January, I wrote, “So the concept for this first article of 2024 came to me in a flash–let’s all begin the new year with kindness. And then keep it up for the next twelve months. And beyond. Once you make kindness a habit, it will become easier for you.”

On that tip, here’s a small example: I’ve spent more time with Mr. X this year than usual, outside of the lockdown, of course, but now that togetherness includes public places it could not during the Covid siege. At first he was always horrified when I said a quick sentence or two to strangers. He thought I was bothering them, but then he started noticing their happy and grateful reactions, so he asked me what I was saying to them. When he realized I was giving them each a compliment, he began enjoying my words right along with them. He especially got a kick out of it when I told a girl whom I was riding behind on an escalator that she’s the only person I’ve ever seen who looks perfect, with no cellulite at all, in leggings! I think that made her whole year, and now Mr. X is used to, and loves, my kindness to strangers. I think he may even try it himself soon! (As should you all.)

On another front, this has been a very challenging year, to say the least, especially for all normal-thinking Americans. So we just have to buck up for the next four years, and try to get through them the best we can.

This is what I wrote in my New Year’s Eve column in 2016, and boy, does it very sadly still apply today!:

“Let’s all try to celebrate like this is the last day of 2015, before our country went to complete chaos! Now we can have one more day of semi-happiness before the constant state of worry begins for all of us normal folks.

“I usually don’t look too far ahead in life, (rather, just forward to fun events,) but I found myself trying to imagine just what I’ll have to write on this page next year at this time. I just hope that the incoming administration of buffoons and dangers hasn’t gotten us into another World War by then.”

And I feel the same way right now. How are we going so backward???

And then, looking back over the archives here on INAM, I noticed that at the start of 2017, I wrote of the previous year : “No event was [worse than the] election results, which gave us the oldest, dumbest, most evil, most ignorant, most dangerous fool of a United States President in history! Just when we’re supposed to be advancing in life, we’ve gone all the way back to slavery and Nazis! What a supreme shame.”

Then in January 2019, I wrote, “And his actions over the past two years have not only done nothing to change my opinions of the situation, but have cemented them!!! How is this happening in our lifetime??? Future generations will not believe that the American people really elected the reincarnation of Hitler all these decades later. (Well, actually, the majority of us did not elect him—the crazy system of the Electoral College did!)”

So how could even more of us have been so insane, unkind, and downright stupid to have brought back this dictator? And now is even worse because he has his boss, Elon Musk, in tow!

So we all have to be super-smart and work together to survive and thrive somehow.

But for now, let’s all try to have one last good time tonight because it may be another four years until we do so again! Maybe, as the late, great Prince suggested way back in 1982(!!!), we should all try to party like it’s 1999!!!

Outside of Mr. X and my friends, (in all parts of the world,) nobody means more to me than the loyal readers of ItsNotAboutMe.TV. And I really appreciate that, all year long.

I wish every one of you a wonderful, safe, happy, and healthy New Year’s Eve. I’ll meet you back here next year!