Happy New Year!!!! Yep, that’s happening tonight, or should I say tomorrow morning because it changes at midnight and becomes morning immediately. Once again, I’ll undoubtedly be tucked safely and warmly in my bed with Kuma. I might even be asleep unless there’s lots of fireworks and Kuma decides he’s going to bark in celebration this year…or would that be next year.
Ah, how things
have changed over the decades I’ve watched an old year become a new year. I
remember finally being allowed to stay up and bang on my mom’s pots to welcome
the new year. Back then, it seemed a huge period of time before the next one.
Grown up, more
or less, I took to celebrating with friends and perhaps a bit of illegal booze.
It was never that much booze and didn’t happen every year. Once married;
however, there was a whole group of us that would congregate, eat, drink and
make merry. I fondly remember how all the guys went around kissing all us girls
at the stroke of midnight. Of course, the best kiss came from my husband.
With the advent
of children, the partying at the new year pretty much ended. Sure, we’d stay up
most times to welcome in the new year; and then, when the boys were older, they
got to make noise and participate just as I had when I was their age.
Much later in
life, the boys off on their own, John and I would welcome January 1st
alone together in our bedroom. Sometimes we even managed to stay awake after we’d
shared our own festivities. I especially liked those evenings when John would rise
and make us fried egg sandwiches on white bread…they were so good so how could
they be so bad for us.
Years later,
John didn’t even attempt to stay up to midnight. He was usually tucked up and
sound asleep well before midnight. I, on the other hand, would stay up reading
my book or watching television. I might also spend some time revisiting the years
that came before and marvel at how young we’d been then.
Nowadays, or at
least for the last six new years, I’ve been here on my own. Initially, I had
Karma and Kaizer and then Kuma. Of course, Kuma has no idea that tonight will
be a big event, so he'll think and will let me know that it’s time for bed. Once there,
Kuma will nod off immediately while I’ll watch television until my eyes close,
and that could be well before midnight. If there are fireworks, both Kuma and I
may wake up. He may bark and I’ll get up
and go to the bathroom.
Then, new year
or not, it will be back to sleep for both of us…quite the celebratory pair aren’t
we.