New Year's Day

I am happy to see 2008 over, especially the second half of December. Although the snow falls have stopped for the time being the melting snow banks refreeze as black ice on the sidewalks and roads as soon as the sun leaves us. I fell last night coming home at 6:30pm from a pub less than a block from home where I stopped after shopping to watch the 2nd period of the US/Canada junior hockey game (it's terrible how we keep beating those 'mericns'). It had already left it too late and the sidewalk was treacherous. I crept as carefully as I could but I hit a patch of wet ice in the unsalted dark and down I went. Fortunately nothing was bruised or broken for me or my shopping. Two elderly men with their own health issues helped me up and I made it home without a second fall.

The fall shook me up and pissed me off. Why is no one responsible for salting that icy stretch beside the community garden? Why is it still unsafe after 3 weeks to venture outside after dark? But bad things happen no matter how hard one barricades himself indoors or does his best to avoid them otherwise, and sometimes the consequences aren't worth a small fraction of the worry and effort to avoid them.

I have nothing much that is profound to say on this New Year's Day, except that I plan to keep my focus on 5 guidelines in 2009:
1. Let go on my fears.
2. Forgive myself and others our shortcomings.
3. Be attentive of what is going on for others in my life.
4. Stay involved (doing new things and participating with friends), and
5. Sniff out joy.

It will be a busy but not hectic day, starting with laundry and house cleaning. Tyler (Stitch) is bringing his son Kevin over at 1 and we'll play the board game "Settlers of Catan" and at 4:30 Danzante will pick me up to take me to dinner at his place in New Westminster. Life is good.