Well, as far as sequels to 2020 go, 2021 lived up to the rep… · 6:44pm Dec 31st, 2021
Another year under the shadow of COVID-19. Another year in which the politics of fear, anger and division continued its onslaught on common decency and civilized behavior in political discourse, as well as its attack on the very foundations of democracy and the institutions that protect us all from charlatans, demagogues and the ugly, slippery slope that leads to fascism, and worse.
It would be easy under the circumstances to succumb to pessimism, cynicism and nihilism.
But then, in my stories you may have picked up a certain degree of shiny optimism, and belief in the inherent rationality and goodness of humanity, and yes, the magic of friendship.
So the words I want to share, as we end 2021 and move into 2022, are these:
Keep faith. This pandemic will end. Civic duty will win over the voices of division. Friendship and good will be shown stronger than fear, hate and paranoïa. And democracy will emerge even stronger from having faced these challenging years - as will those who continue to strive in its defense. The pendulum will swing slowly back, and our better angels will prevail!
I wish you all a happy, safe, healthy and prosperous New Year! 
Happy holidays.
We're making traditional New Years pea soup today. Both of us have been saying "pea soup" like the cricket from the beginning of The Rescuers Down Under.
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Pay soap as the Aussies say, made in the traditional French Canadian way, heavy with ham and a dash of mustard, of course! (We take pea soup very seriously in these parts.)
Happy 2022 to you and Wolf!
clearly, I need to read more of your stories ._.
Optimism is a choice, once you can choose you are both insane(by definition of common sense, though common sense is not a valid judgemental metric) and yet freer than ever before, we just wish everyone would have an easy choice, but ones physical brain and mental capabilities are different for everyone and can both hinder and help the understanding of how one can make this into just a choice.
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Hmmm… Optimism is a choice, but research show that optimists are generally happier people, but I think the most beneficial aspects of optimism is that it encourages people to try to do new things and improve their lives, whereas pessimists discourage themselves from trying to expand their boundaries. The end result is that optimists drive progress, pessimists just look for someone to blame for their own failures. Add to that the longer lifespan of optimists, better health, and better social interaction as well as just achieving a happier life, and the only sane choice is to choose optimism!
This is a bit simplistic as an analysis, but I hold it to be a basic truth - optimism is its own reward, and pessimism is its own punishment. And yes life deals us all very different hands, but optimism gives you the hope and motivation to make the most of the cards you’ve been dealt. This is why I strongly believe the optimists will win in the long run.