‘Tis the season for…. the year in review.  Ugh.  It seems everywhere we turn during this last week of the year, we are getting a rehash of the 12 months we just lived through. Honestly, these things annoy me. Why do we have to go through it all again so soon?  Sure, if you want to give me a recap of what life was like in, say, 1910, 1965, or even 1982, that would be interesting.  But I’m not even done writing 2023 on my checks, and you want to tell me what I may have missed or forgotten?  

Let’s be truthful here, this past year was not a pretty one.  Wars, political ridiculousness, illness, inflation – I’m good, thanks, I don’t need a reminder.  Nor do I really want to be reminded of all of the famous people we lost.  We can choose to honor them in our own way if we are so inclined; I don’t need the black and white slide show with sad music that makes me feel as depressed and anxious as watching the latest Edie Falco abused animal ASPCA commercial spot.

Some of the recaps are just plain silly.  Today I received an email from Panera restaurant that quite literally was titled “Your 2023 year in review has arrived!” as if I was just dying to find out what my favorite food item was to order, and that avocado was my most common ingredient add-on.  Really, I wouldn’t have lost any sleep not knowing this. 

And trust us – we Real Women are keenly aware of what we’ve been through this year.  We remember every good thing like it is a sparkling diamond that kept us moving – the times with friends, a fun adventure, an unexpected gift or family visit, a few pounds lost, a professional commendation, weddings and babies … whatever the gems of the past few months have been, we store them in our Happy Thoughts brain and heart chambers.  They are what help us deal with all the other things that were far harder, yet are equally as seared into our memory banks, sore backs and levels of exhaustion.  Can you imagine if some perky broadcaster popped up and said “Hey, let’s take a look back at 12 months of your worries and frustrations, your debts, illnesses and poor choices” ?   We’d knock them out.    

That said, I do appreciate taking a break from regular news (see reference above to some of the key world topics of the past several months).  But I’d much rather look forward, not back.  This morning I caught a few minutes of the Today Show as I was getting ready to head out the door, and thankfully I had missed what I had assumed had been more endless reviews, and instead heard a bit about upcoming trends in such fluff topics as shopping and beauty.  Ok, that’s kind of fun.  One segment was about different ways to serve champagne and unique beverages to ring in the New Year.  Again, fun.  Nothing big and taxing and scary, and it was about looking ahead with some (minor and trivial) positivity.  I’m AOK with fluffy topics right now.  My brain and energy level can’t handle much more than that.  Wanna talk about the pantone color of ’24 (Peach Fuzz), new books we can’t wait to read (Lies and Weddings), bucket list vacations we hope to do (Northwest US), or BFF adventures (Comedy Clubs and Shopping trips)?  I’m all in.  Please, please, for a few days no politics, no world trauma, no evilness.  Bring on the Future Fluff.

All of these Year In Reviews should be much like the rearview mirror in our cars. We don’t stare out them continuously to see where we just were.  We glance back to see who may be coming up behind us, or we use them for reference so if we have to back up we don’t run anything over or hit anyone.  They just hang there in case we need some quick reassurance of what is behind us.  Much more important is the big huge windshield in front of us – so we can look out clearly to see where we are going, with all the twists, turns, and even the unknown of what we may encounter. The best we can hope is that most of those days are sunny and dry with beautiful views, our destinations include time with loved ones, and our favorite music is playing on the radio. 

Thank you for continuing to read this blog and staying in touch, I sincerely appreciate each of you.  May your New Year be happy, healthy and hopeful with plenty of comforting fluff.