Hesitant New Year!

You’ve come at last, 2021. Thank you. Earth’s 7.8 billion human inhabitants are glad you’re here.

We’ve greeted most of your older siblings with parties and booze, confetti, midnight kisses, even fireworks. You’ll get little of that. Parties, social kisses and fun are mostly out for now. And, while we’re honestly happy to see you, we no longer accept rosy “Happy New Year” pledges.

Please don’t misunderstand. We’re not sore at you. We have trust issues.

Why? We’ll be blunt.

Your immediate predecessor was a disappointment.

An unruly mess.

A turd.

We hope you’re not. Oh golly, golly, golly do we hope you’re not.

But hope may choose badly. Just ask the survivors of – to speak plainly – pandemic death and disruption, unparalleled election strife, craven political demagoguery and acute conflict over the past-due fulfillment of racial justice.

It’s been that bad. Really.

So, 2021, your timing is splendid. You’ll be judged against a predecessor who set the achievement bar lower than deep. But you must do more than promise.

Oh, you’ll get a party, one helluva party – when you deliver.