How Did We Get This Far into the Next Century Already?

I know that time seems to speed up as you grow older, but this is just ridiculous! It was only a moment ago that we were all so concerned about what was going to happen to the computers world-wide when we turned over to 2000 and lost the "1" date of the year beginning.

Okay, chuckle those of you who were only 5 years old at the time. But look where we are now - on the verge of 2008! It just can't be! Where are the flying cars we were promised? And a jetpack in every driveway? Oh well.

I guess we'll have to settle for 24/7 access to all of the information from all over the world whether we want it or not. I personally draw the line at the gas pump.

It's painful enough to fill up at current prices without having to suffer through an ad! So I just plug in my earbuds and tune into mindless noise of my own choosing.

But no matter how much we try to invoke denial to assist us, time does march on and it will be 2008, and then 2009 and then, gulp, 2010. As a kid, I never thought I'd live this long. I couldn't picture myself past 18. hahahahahaha! Now I can easily picture myself at 80 - driving my flying car above a Florida freeway.

The good news is - each New Year's eve forces us to look ahead. And I don't mean to make a schlepy list of meaningless "resolutions" that none of us ever keeps. What I mean is that it does no good to dwell on the past, so we can choose instead to look to the future and hope for good things.

I think "resolutions" have become more like "wishes" or 'hopes". And they tend to be focused on others besides ourselves. Thank goodness for that.

I've heard people hope for more "green" for the planet, more peace in the world, moms and dads home from war reunited with their families. That's a big wish. Big wishes are tough to fulfill (as any parent can attest to). But little wishes - lots and lots of little wishes coming from enough people might just help make a difference in the world.

As part of the enigma of the passage of time, we suddenly can't believe that our baby nephew just graduated from college. What? It happens folks, so pay attention to what's happening right now.

How did we forget the hard lessons of the Energy Crisis in the 70's? My children look at me incredulously. "Did you really wait in line for only $3 worth of gas?" "You were forced to get gas on even or odd days?" "You didn't have a computer at home!?"

I realize now it's like me asking my own parents incredulously about the Great Depression: "Were there really people standing in soup lines?" "Could you really only afford one pair of shoes!?" "You didn't have television!?"

But now - I count my blessings at New Years, thankful I can recognize what I have and not so much what I "want". I have many good friends, my family is well and happy (as far as I know), and I have yet another chance to explore something new in my life.

So I hope for good health, an opportunity to help others, a smidge of personal success, and a good dose of rollicking fun along the way. Remember to enjoy every breath you take - after all - no one gets out of this life alive. And another year will come, and go.