Ringing In The New Year

In just a few days we will officially enter 2017.

That number seems odd when you describe it by attaching the current year with it. In many ways it doesn’t seem possible we have reached this point.

A new year means different things to different people I suppose.

For the college football fan, it has meant an overdose of bowl games of late, regardless of how unimportant they may be in the grand scheme of things.

For students, both in high school and college, it has meant an extended break from classes, which will continue for a few more days at least.

For those of us who live in Georgia, it has meant a day or two of good weather thrown in with some which have been less than desirable. The warm Christmas day was a blessing to my way of thinking.

For college basketball fans, we are entering the heart of that season. March Madness will be here before long.

For fans of the Atlanta Braves, pitchers and catchers will report for spring training in just a few weeks.

For the working man and working woman, it’s pretty much been business as usual with maybe a day off from work for Christmas and New Year’s.

The new year will also see a new president take office. (That was going to take place regardless of who won the election as the current president had already served two terms.)

I’ve never been one for New Year’s Eve parties. Years ago I did attend a gathering each December 31 but it certainly was not a wild party by means, rather a simple gathering of good people welcoming in the new year.

These days I really just want to go to sleep but am often prevented from doing so from people wanting to have another version of July 4 on the first minute of the first day of January. I have nothing against fireworks but if you must shoot them off why not do it where and when it will not disturb others around you?

I’ve always looked to the first day of January as a new beginning. It’s a chance to start new and to begin with an untraveled road in front of us. The past 12 months have seen plenty of good, bad and in between. It’s almost always that way with the passage of a year.

Hopefully the good outweighs the bad when it comes to the truly important things in life such as family, health and finances. A new calendar year always brings a new sense of hope that things can get better or, at a minimum, stay as good as they have been.

Here’s to 2017 and to each of you. I trust it is a great year for everyone and for everyone in your family. There’s bound to be some bumps in the road by the time Dec. 31, 2017 arrives, but maybe those smooth stretches will be far more memorable. Happy New Year to everyone.

Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.