Better Year Comin'?

Lots of calls for 2021 to be better than 2020. You've read and heard these, right?

What else are you supposed to say after last year's C-Virus Mess?

Will it be "better"? Kind of depends on what you mean by "better," no? 

In financial circles, some of us think better means a better economy. That world looks at stats like GDP, % of population employed/unemployed, retail sales, and a whole slather of corporate numbers like earnings, sales, profits, free cash flow, etc. (That's just a smidgen.)

In poltical circles, some yearn for Trump to retain the Presidency (by some miracle?) while others can't wait to see the hated Donald skedaddle from the White House. Then there's the drama of the Georgia run-off that, according to many, will determine the fate of our country for the next, well, forever - or at least for 2 years until the next election.

Closer to home, you may have some ideas about "better" when it comes to family and friends. First, we must recognize those who've died over the last year, whether from COVID or some other cause. We've lost a handful, none for COVID. For them our prayers go out for a better life. 

For those of us who remain on this earth, you can sense a yearning to get beyond masks and "social distancing" and return to some semblance of life as it once was - even (we hope) those who've embraced the government-imposed restrictions as a way to keep us all "safe." 

A question to ponder in all this: However we think of "better," does it include things going back to the way they were? My own pondering has unveiled a couple of issues that keep bouncing around my brain lately.

First, was I really all that enamored of how things were before the Virus arrived from China - whenever that was? As I think back, before the C-Virus Mess enveloped us and infected our thoughts, words, and daily activities, I recall a certain discontent with the world as we knew it. I won't go through the details here. Heck, it's a New Year and there's no point in focusing on all the things wrong with this world. So it's best to just say that if some of those things withered and died as a result of the pandemic, then good riddance. 

Okay, maybe it's worth mentioning one item in this regard: commuting to work. Lots of us had to bear - and many still do - long commutes in awful traffic to and from work. Some percentage of these unfortunates got a pass during the lockdowns, some have even managed to remain un-commuted even as things loosened up a bit. While I know some enjoy being around others when they work, I also know others who can do just fine working on their own - especially if it means not spending hours trudging to and fro.

There's more, but we'll leave it at that.

The point here: "Better" doesn't have to mean "Bring back the old days."

If you've had some respite from things you didn't care for much, I hope the New Year brings the opportunity to shed at least some of that stuff. Indeed, this Mess may have already provided some breathing room to contemplate ways to make life better than it was. 

On this end, while I'd already created a business that allows me to work mostly from home, I can trim that down further - thank goodness. After years of long commutes, reducing that burden played a big part in how I structured my business when I started it, Nevertheless, I still had to hike into the "Big City" regularly, especially in the early years. And it's likely I would have had to continue my regular (albeit reduced) commutes had it not been for the Mess. No more. Phone and video have become an accepted - even for some desirable and exclusive - medium for doing business.

That just the tip of "better" that emerged since the Mess began. There's some physical stuff, some intellectual stuff, some religious stuff (despite our Church closing for months on end) and some spiritual stuff. For now, let's just say that, in some ways - maybe many ways - this Mess has brought some pretty serious blessings (for which I thank God).

With the thought of such blessings - whatever they might be for you - let's enter this New Year together with hope. Real hope comes from God, from our understanding and appreciation that He desires us to some day be eternally happy with Him in Paradise. Until that time, we're charged with living a good life, with using the days left to us as a means to grow closer to God, even as we diligently fulfill the duties of our state of life, whatever that may be for each of us.

Frankly, such a hope should always brighten end enlighten us as we enter a New Year. In that light we take our first steps, praying for the strength and stability that only God can provide.

As for the pandemic, the election, the economy and all the rest, they will all turn out according to God's plan. And if the results don't match what we would have preferred, we'll just have to deal with all that as it unfolds.

Happy New Year!