Imagine That Ten Years Have Gone By

I've noticed ads for end-of-year TV specials, but I haven't seen anything recognizing the fact that we've had 10 years starting with a 2. I guess it's the lack of millennial excitement this time, no Y2K (an abbreviation that can't pass into history fast enough) computer anxieties. Still, it's been a pretty eventful decade; you'd think there would be bit more hoopla. Perhaps it's the nature of those major events; large-scale terrorist attacks, ongoing wars and economic stagnation don't make people want to dance in the streets. I think if anything there's a feeling of Good Riddance, as John Lennon said about another decade, "Weren't the 70's a drag?" Of course, he then said, "Let's try to make the 80's better" and was killed shortly thereafter, reminding us of the fleeting nature of optimism, and that things can almost always get worse.

When I mentioned this passing of years to my wife, she said, "It doesn't seem that long ago", which is a common reaction, but one I don't share about that time frame. When I think back to my life at the end of 1999 and all that happened since, the bad - 2 divorces; an ill-advised job change requiring relocation to another town; lingering financial chaos brought on by those decisions - and the good - meeting my wife; seeing my daughter grow up to be a good, sensible young adult; Grandbaby - it's definitely been 10 years' worth.

As I look at that last paragraph, it occurs to me that most of the bad for me happened between 2000-2005 and most of the good from 2005-2009, which I guess is a reminder of the fleeting nature of pessimism, and as Lennon said in that same tragically ironic interview, “while there’s life, there’s hope”.