So We Got A New Year!

 Wishing a Happy New Year feels like telling somebody in the last stage of a terminal illness to have a Happy Birthday!

 I am not confident that 2025 will be a better year, nor am I confident that we get peace in the Ukraine, that the German AFD will lose the upcoming election or that the U.S. will return to sanity ever.

These things are all beyond reach. And we have to live with it whether we like it or not.

And while we are trying to do just that, we need to take care of ourselves. We need to focus on the positive things we see around us. We can be happy about flowers appearing out of the desert sand after a rain, we can be happy about seeing grand kids growing up or even just enjoy a great meal in the company of family or good friends. There are lots of reasons to also see positive things around us. With other words, keeping a balance of the bad and the good is essential to our own well-being.

 

 

 

Celebrating New Years in the desert has always been a lot different than being at home in town or in a village where people are sending fireworks towards the sky, getting really loud and often very drunk.

 

Out here, we have experienced the quietest End-of-Year celebrations of our life. No fireworks, no undue noise, and most campers go dark long before midnight.

Back in the fifties, when I was a boy, New Year's Eve was a huge event. And even though we kids were not allowed to stay up past midnight, we had endless fun until it was bedtime around 9pm. We never had big fireworks ourselves but sure enjoyed the big bangs from neighbouring properties. We dressed up, painted our faces, threw colorful paper rolls and confetti around and we had great family gatherings with tons of great food.

So yes, we should all maintain hope in 2025. 

And while we actually went to bed around 10pm on New Year's Eve we had a great New Year's Day dinner with our camper neighbours. The weather has been very friendly with lots of blue sky and sunshine inviting for walks in the area.

First flowers have appeared on Creosote Bushes