Good times never seemed so good

I’d like to say I sprinted to the finish of 2022, but the truth is I strolled, maybe even stumbled a little.

It wasn’t my favorite year.

But, I ended it on a high note, belting Sweet Caroline in the company of a sweet Caroline, and I can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for all of us.

Good times never seemed so good.

We’re jumping into the Year of the Rabbit, which is also the Year of Hope, and hope does not disappoint.

So, I say bring it on!

I hope 2023 brings us all the kind of peace that makes us generous, that allows us to wave cars and people into lanes we’ve guarded too closely these past few years.

I hope we can chat honestly without checking the time.

Hug thoroughly, with both arms wrapped all the way around, eyes closed and faces smushed in.

Play hard and sweat and remember how good sore muscles feel.

Find adventure in this old world and be brave in that pursuit.

Learn cool new things like how to knit a sweater, knot a bow tie, host a butterfly, tell a knock knock joke, ride a horse, or bake a souffle.

Dance the salsa with someone we love.

Build something that makes us proud — a family, a home, a piece of furniture, a blockchain, a Lego city, a snow fort, a friendship, a career.

Read books that makes us think.

Make a child smile.

I’d like us to use less Kleenex this year, and more sunblock; to write fewer scathing comments and more thank you notes; to whine less and toast more; to fear a little less and trust a lot more.

I hope we find time for each other and that we’re generous with what we share, that we let our older friends tell the same stories over again and that we listen well each time; that we pause when our little friends need to catch their breath and give them the space they need; that we carve out space in our busy lives for friendship; that we open our hearts to faith.

I hope we send more invitations this year, set more places at the table, scan more tickets, plan more trips.

Happy, hopeful New Year! May 2023 be the best one yet.

I think this picture from my son Charlie and daughter in-law Tara’s wedding adequately sums up what 2022 might have looked like had we seen it coming.
We rang in 2023 at another wedding, that of a beautiful young lady I’ve know since she was a third grade sweetie pie/smartie pants and her equally inclined high school sweetheart. It’s the best way to kick off a year. The little girl in the chair watching them dance is named Caroline and we all later belted out Sweet Caroline with her.
Good times never seemed so good

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