January 31: As the calendar rolls over into the new year, I am usually fairly optimistic about the times that lie ahead. Some years, I have been less enthusiastic than others, due largely to a downturn in my mood over the preceding Christmas and holiday season. This year the holiday went fairly well, so I welcomed 2025 with an open mind.
Unfortunately, shortly after the new year was underway, Trump assumed the Presidency in the US and things went to hell in a hand cart. This was not unexpected as he had been messaging his intentions from the date the election was called. Still, there was the (obviously misguided) hope that he would somehow see the folly of his intentions, and that his chaotic style would then change. As I write, we are awaiting word on whether there will be a round of tariffs, and if so, what will be covered.
There is nothing I can do about this, other than to remain in my seat with the lap belt loosely fastened across my lap. What is troubling to me is the constant din of stupidity coming (for the most part) from south of the border which demands attention, if only to determine whether there is actually something happening that is of concern. Many people I know are completely over-stressed because they pay close attention to this stream of nonsense and imagine possible disastrous outcomes. Please my friends; take a deep breath.
Later in the month, we learned that my very good friend Ian’s younger brother Don had died in hospital after a lengthy illness. Although Ian had told me that he was not well, the news was sad and unsettling. All of my little gang of friends has lost parents and while that is difficult, it is a life passage that we have come to expect. The death of our own generation has somehow been postponed indefinitely as our lives roll along from day to day. Don’s death was a reminder that we may not have all the time we think we have.
And that is likely not long at all. This year, we all turn 75. The average life expectancy in Canada is 83 (19th in the world), so less than 10 years remain if you believe in the (use and abuse of ) statistics. I like to think that I am fairly involved in my life. I have hobbies that, admittedly, come and go from time to time. I am volunteering and taking classes to expand my range of interests and skills. I am trying half-heartedly to stay in reasonably good shape. Some of my friends are doing the same, yet many seem content to go from day to day without any significant plans, or any intention to seek out and enjoy life goals that have been waiting for years to be realized. At some point, they will simply be too old and enfeebled to actually do those things they imagined but did not pursue, and that makes me sad and a bit disappointed for them.
Yet I know that there’s nothing I can do to change the course of history yet to come, or to force those around me to take a shot at something new. They have their life; I have mine. The events that I encountered this month have left me slightly discouraged. In the end, there is one month down and eleven to go. Let’s keep our eyes on the horizon….