Meet the New Year-

-And we’ll see.

Having been on the Internet, what there was of it, since the beginning of the 90s, I’m pretty sure there are folks out there today bitching about the cost of the pyrotechnic celebrations in Sydney and all over the world.

I, myself, was watching them and thought, “Holy shit. That cost a fortune.”

Like, yeah, feed a bunch of starving people fortune.

Know what, though? People need these celebrations. Me? I stayed at home with my family, we ate junk food, we set off poppers out back, danced in our pajamas, and sang songs. But I made sure to get on the Internet and show our daughter the way the world sends the old year out with a bang and welcomes the new with an even bigger bang.

It was beautiful. It’s like watching a billion explosive hopes and wishes flashing in the skies. The time zones click forward, and nation after nation takes a foot and steps into the next with moments of joy and glee and big see ya laters to the old. Whether or not the new is better isn’t important right as that clock hits zero. Because it CAN be.

2011 was pretty shitty in a lot of ways- for me and mine- for the world…

So this is what I leave you with as the calendar flips-

See that path? It wasn’t there when we moved in. Over 2011 my kids wore that path into the yard by running and walking from the front yard to the back yard, over and over, on each day it was nice enough to play outdoors. When I was small parents would get ticked at kids doing that type of thing, and I’m sure some still do. But when I look at that path right now I have memories of this past year outdoors. Little moments that trump every damn-big-horrible when you add them together.

My wish for 2012 that I’m sending up with the fireworks is for everyone to have enough little goods to at least balance out the big bads, if not punt them aside.

Have a very Happy New Year.

And go wear yourself a path.