Invoking Yes, Virginia

There have been a lot of words written in review about this year, which is rapidly ending, and between now and New Year’s Eve, there’ll be a few more, I suspect. These are not intended to be a part of that. 

Something is disquieting about the neuralgia of nostalgia--seen through the prism of the past, events often take on a rosy hue, far more in retrospect than you might recall they had when they were happening.

I figure in a matter of weeks this, too, will be part of the 'Good Old Days' and for a lot of us, not soon enough. Meanwhile, I'd suggest we turn the page on the calendar since, soon enough, we'll be on at a new year.

When you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there and there are many signposts up ahead. Instead of arguing over who is holding the map, who is steering, and who’s called shotgun, let’s keep our eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel.

Let's promise one another to work to ensure our elected officials, federal, state, and local maintain their focus on the "Big Picture" while devoting attention to the finer details as well.

It's not easy being an elected official anywhere in the United States and I've often thought sometimes, it's a little more challenging than it needs to be where I live. As someone who is not from here but who lives here now, I don't pretend to understand why sometimes we expect the worst. 

Maybe we’ve adopted a pessimistic mindset because that way we can only be surprised and never disappointed. We strike me as somehow being related to Eyeore, Winnie the Pooh's homefry, of sorts, who elevates pessimism to Olympian heights. But small steps are how we start on long journeys and great adventures.

Some of us will argue into the new year, and beyond, on the merits and impact of City Council actions and decisions. I'd like to think maybe we're realizing the only way we can get to where we want to go is by going there together. That it's often not eaten as hot as it's served is a truth and a truism and is valid for where you live as well as for where I live. Grab a napkin and tuck in.

-bill kenny