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No time to be mawkish

January 1, 2011 by Dave Knadler

If you sit down to write on New Year’s Eve, you will always come up with something misty-eyed and mawkish. If you put it off to New Year’s Day, you tend to be more pragmatic. At least that’s my theory.

Which is why I didn’t bother to wax poetic last night on the fleeting nature of youth and time, even though that was my first impulse. I am a great one for foolish sentimentality. But if there was ever a middle-aged man who needs to keep his eye on the road and off the rearview mirror, it’s me. At a certain age, self-indulgent reminisce becomes a bigger waste of time than Farmville. The past, as Carl Sandburg mentioned, really is a bucket of ashes.

Not that the future is all that precious either. The older you get, the more acutely you realize exactly where all these years are leading. Which leaves a practical person with only the present.

And that kind of narrows the options for New Year’s resolutions, doesn’t it? Offhand, I can think of just one: Make the moments count.

Sounds kind of glib, I know. But that’s my plan for 2011. I’d like to keep it between the ditches. One moment, one day at a time. At some point it becomes important to live more by choice than by habit. We’ll see how it goes.

More along these lines:

  • So long, Kodak. And thanks for all the pics
  • Sorry about all the swearingSorry about all the swearing
  • Welcome to our world, Ruby
  • mitt romney debate rick perryLet’s just go straight to the fistfighting
  • glenn beck norway shootingsWho’s the Nazi now?

Filed Under: new year's, Other Stuff

Comments

  1. Hayley says

    January 1, 2011 at 9:51 pm

    “…a bigger waste of time than Farmville.”

    HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! Dave, I continually salute your awesomeness.

  2. Maxine says

    January 2, 2011 at 4:31 am

    I think that’s a great resolution! Have a very happy new year, Dave.
    best wishes
    Maxine.

    • Dave Knadler says

      January 4, 2011 at 9:00 am

      Thanks, Maxine. You too!

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