Another Year Over...

Well hello my dear friends! It has been awhile. I must say that these past few months have been crazy around this prison. There just never seems to be enough hours in the day but, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. Anyway, as I was sitting here this morning, enjoying a little nip, I began reflecting on 2012 and how fast it seemed to go. Some much tragedy; the recent horror in Newtown, CT, the terrorist killings of our Ambassador and three others in Benghazi, 396 US Military Personnel killed overseas,  Hurricane Sandy, the reelection of Obama, the million dollar GSA Las Vegas party scandal, the Buffalo Bills, Honey Boo Boo, the list goes on and on. There were good times as well. The recent Mayan "mea culpa", big wins for US Olympians in London, NASA landed the Curiosity Rover on Mars, again, the list goes on and on. We are about to be bombarded by the "Best Of" and "Worst Of" 2012 reviews. This gives the media a chance to tell the rest of us "lesser informed and enlightened" folks what is really important and what isn't. After all, if it weren't for Barbara Walters, I, personally, would not have known that Honey Boo Boo, Seth MacFarlane and Kristen Stewart were fascinating. I always thought they were irrelevant and, well, goofy! It's amazing what you can learn from the media! Because so much of our lives are actually "staged" by the media now, and by "staged" I mean that they release information, not when they learn it, but when they think it will have the greatest impact. A perfect example this year was the General David Petraeus scandal. It had been going on for years. The media knew and they had the proof weeks before the story was released. Why? Because it would have been politically inconvenient to release it sooner. The delay didn't change the story but it did change the way we viewed it. This is the world we live in now. Perception is reality. "Reality TV" is anything but, criminals are touted as heroes if they can catch a football or hit a baseball, the most powerful politicians in the world lie with impunity and the "News Media" now gives us their opinion on what they think we need to know. Parents today have the hardest job of any generation before them. I would not want to be in their shoes. Many of our senior citizens are struggling to survive, more and more families are going hungry, hard working blue collar people continue to watch their jobs disintegrate, the price of food, housing and education continue to skyrocket, and the beat goes on. So my friends, I say to you, let's start turning this thing around, one cat at a time! Here is my challenge to you for 2013. Help where you are able. I know we all talk about it. Many of us do it already. But this time, beginning on January 1, 2013, let's really make it happen. Check on your neighbor, especially on days like today. That little kid down the street, the one running around it a thin little jacket when it's 20 degrees, put a warm winter coat in a box on their door step. Bring a box of canned good to the food pantry, not just on Thanksgiving and Christmas, once a month if you can. Make Random Acts of Kindness less random. Don't throw out those perfectly good clothes that don't fit. Take them to the Goodwill. If you've just retired, "Dress for Success" is a great organization that redistributes gently used business suits to women in need, trying to get into the work force. Take part in at least one charity fundraiser in 2013. Don't wait to be asked. In 2013, let's all take the initiative and see what a difference we can make. There are brighter days ahead for us all! Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Generous New Year!
Much Love,
Po