So This is the New Year

Even though “the year 2025” sounds like something from the opening titles of an old sci-fi movie, I’m told that it’s actually a real thing.

This past year seemed like it was especially brutal for everyone I know. While we all experienced the collective trauma of the return of the Trump administration, everyone seems to have weathered their own individual crises on top of that. For me, it was the passing of my mom and a cancer scare for my daughter in quick order this fall.

While I’m thrilled to turn the page on the past year, I have no illusions that the new one will be any better. There’s lots to worry about, and I’m not going to depress your holiday by reciting them here. You know them well, perhaps too well, and so do I.

That said, I’m not going to wallow in pessimism or give myself over to worst-case scenario.

The return of Trump is going to present us with a host of problems, but we’ll deal with them as they come. Unlike the last time around, Trump’s presence in office isn’t as much of an unexpected shock; we’ve been here before, and we’ve seen our way through. Trump will be a lame duck from the moment he’s inaugurated, and he’ll have the usual second-term problems that have confounded even popular presidents who were re-elected in landslides.

It’s a new year, but we’re not starting from scratch. One day at a time. We’ll get there.

Enjoy the holiday.