(The Kinks, Do It Again)
This is probably one of my favorite songs of all time, and it's at times like this (a new year) that it seems to ping the most around inside of my head. Great songs do that, by the way: They stick inside your head and become evocative of all sorts of things.
Music aside, it is a new year, and there is much to be done. The election...and my last posting...seem like a while ago, something born as much on the back of necessity than sloth. The necessity part comes in the form of my 250-ish page book via Storyworth that should be arriving in a week or so. As I noted in a prior posting or two, during 2024 I was answering a question a week posed mostly by my youngest daughter, with some also coming from Ms. Rivers. I also added about 2500 or so words at the end as a kind of coda to the stories. While I wrote the whole thing, I am still looking forward to re-reading parts in the weeks to come.
As a side note, what was the experience like? Did I learn anything? To answer the first question, yes, but I also enjoy writing. I wouldn't say the experience is for everyone, and it does require some measure of discipline. If given as a gift, well, let's just say one should be selective in the recipient. Regarding the second question, I'll defer to Ms. Rivers, who received an email copy (along with my youngest daughter) of each entry as it was saved. When asked about her overall impressions, she was surprised at just how not-so-great my childhood was. In answering the weekly questions, I tried to be very honest, so I suspect that's as valid a review as one can get. Time, and other readers, will tell.
What is a fact is that writing answers to personal questions on a weekly deadline did suck up a good part of my discretionary writing time. I'm hoping to re-direct that effort here for 2025. Anyway, a few other things are worth mentioning in the world around me (and, for some, you as well).
The Presidential Election came and went. In theory folks voted for cheaper groceries; in fact, what they will get is likely higher prices, courtesy of tariffs on imported goods and deported farm workers. A good many Americans simply just love a good sales job, which is what happened in November. My personal hope is that the incoming administration's lack of competence will reduce their overall impact. On my end, I've pretty much made the decision that I'm really not going to follow national politics over the next few years. The swirl of chaos and controversy simply for its own sake just isn't something I have time for anymore.
On the work front, on one hand I count my blessings to be employed and working with some folks who care about what they are doing. So many former colleagues from Prudential have been (involuntarily) retired or laid off over the past year that it makes you wonder what's left of the company. Very few organizations have shrunk themselves into success, which is an interesting kind of academic view to take. What's not so academic? The very personal lives that have been impacted negatively by the company's actions. It's a very stark reminder that most organizations basically demand loyalty from their employees without having to offer it in return. This makes the job-hopping of younger generations all the more reasonable. Yes, sometimes the younger folks are smarter than the older folks.
As a caveat to the above, the key word to note in that first sentence (of the prior paragraph) is "some", as in not all. This is true in many places, I know, but for me it has forced a recognition that I need to continue to work on that most very basic of concepts...as in "it's just a job"...which is still, at nearing 61 years of age, difficult for me to personally master. Having grown up in the corporate world of "give it all you've got", the transition to "in reality they don't always deserve the all you've got" part is challenging. However, I am nothing if not a continuous work in progress on many fronts.
I do think about actually being a retired person one of these years. I am not sure when that could be, other than the earliest would be late Spring of 2026. A lot depends on how this year at work goes.
On the home front, Ms. Rivers and I are enjoying being at times empty nesters, with my youngest stepson away at college in Syracuse. It's nice seeing him over breaks (such as now), but the "empty nest" parts aren't so terrible either. I know Ms. Rivers enjoys our routine of very simple meals, for example. The good, hard work of parenting marches on: You love your children, but you are training them to be independent human adults that you will not see as much when they are fully adulting. In my estimation, the good (of helping to raise independent human adults) outweighs the costs, and is ultimately part of a living legacy that parents leave the world.
Lastly, over the 16 or so years of this blog I've noted a fondness for New Years resolutions. While I have been successful at some things, I am mostly terrible when it comes to results. So this year I am not making any specific pronouncements. There are some things I want to get better at, such as maintaining a healthy mental health balance relative to work. I also need to do better at staying in touch with folks. Ms. Rivers attaches some importance to that second point, as she's worried that, in the event something should happen to her, I would become a kind of recluse. That's a valid point.
The above noted, here's to 2025 and all that it brings.
