New Year’s Day is my very favorite holiday. While many may feel bored, stressed from overshopping, or tired from too much celebration on this day, I feel that today is a day for rest and contemplation. Here there is nothing open, so no need to shop, and no excuse to scurry around.

Being an optimist, I get to look forward to the things that I would like to do in the New Year. Places and people that I would like to visit, things that I want to learn, projects that I would like to start (and maybe finish), and maybe even some self-improvement from a health and beauty point of view. I don’t regard these contemplations as resolutions, just ideas and things to look forward to.

Currently my oldest son and husband are in a discourse about whether this is a new decade or whether that starts next year. All I know is I have to remember to use 2020 on any new cheques or correspondence, and to put up my new Calendar!

Can you believe that 20 years ago we were worried about an impending computer disaster which would potentially shut down the world when the calendar changed from 1999-2000. I used to work in the software industry, and can say that companies and people made so much money in the time leading up to this change in Computer technology and software upgrades, consulting and financing! I’m not sure to this day whether there was any validity to it.

I was expecting a baby due January 1, 2000. After giving birth to a 10.5 pound first baby 4 years prior, I was blessed with scheduled 5 minute deliveries for the next 2. After conferring with my doctor and the hospital staff, we decided to forgo the “first baby of 2000” opportunity, with a scheduled delivery a few days before Christmas. Even the doctor’s and hospital were worried about the year 2000 impact on their equipment and potential power failure. The baby was safely delivered, and there were no year 2000 disasters!

Happy 2020!