Friday, December 31, 2010

One more year is passing and another being born on the stroke of midnight tonight. Today is New Year’s Eve. It’s a time of letting go, remembering, and looking forward. You can’t blame the past for who you are. You can learn from it – if you’re lucky, take responsibility for your own actions and move on. The past can’t be changed but the present, and future? Ah, well that’s what a new year is about now, isn’t it. Each sunrise is a fresh awakening with new possibilities, each New Year a time of growth and exploration - of your life, and, of the lives around you. It’s a chance to start fresh if you want, if you can… a fresh start to let go of the anchors that hold you back from being whom or what you want to be. I hope you do. I hope you can. Each year seems to get shorter until one day; there will be no more years left.

I was reminded of that this evening. Axel, Mary, Wayne and I went to dinner at a nice little place on the corner yesterday and tomorrow. Somewhere, stuck in yesterday and today, a man was trying to take his life. When we got to the restaurant there were police there with the man and his dog. While we watched the drama unfold with the arrival of a fire truck and rescue truck, we learned that the man had taken 90 some pills, was toting a gun and was a regular to the restaurant. He never drank. This evening he was drinking and, packing. The restaurant called the police and in looking at his phone discovered that he’d taken a lot of medication through a text message. The holidays are a very sad time for a lot of people. He, evidently had enough and was at the only place that probably knew him or gave a damn about him (or that may have been his perception). They strapped him down and took him to the hospital for help and probably for observation. His dog was left behind, whining, barking and straining at its leash as they took the man away. Someone at the restaurant was going to keep the dog for the man, but the dog only knew that something terrible was going on and that it was being separated from it’s only companion. I hope that the man will be able to realize a fresh start from this old year. I hope that he can survive the scars inside that he can’t seem to overcome on this the last night of the year. After he’d left, all had returned to normal as if he’d never made a ripple in life. Except that I could still see and hear his dog whining for him, wondering where he’d gone…

The dog was replaced with pirates and revelers for the evening. Yes there are pirates in Florida. They collect here for the time between the old and the new. It was wonderful to see them all collecting for their festivities. In talking to them, they do this each year and seem to relish this time in their lives. It was wonderful to see them enjoying themselves and each other.

After our dinner it was nice to sit around and chat and watch all the people wandering about. We walked down to the beach then down the boardwalk. One place had a wonderful Latin guitar player and Flamingo dancer. It was fun to clap and cheer them on. One young lady from the street went up and danced and had a marvelous time. We clapped in time to the music and dancing and she was a great sport when he kept playing and playing.

After mocha café lattes and decadent chocolate cake it was time to head back to the boats and leave the partying and the rest of the night to the revelers. It was a busy day of provisioning, taking care of things on the boat and joining wonderful friends for dinner on the last day of this year. I hope the New Year is good to us all, especially the man and his dog.




Happy New Years to all… I hope we all can find peace inside of us.