New Years resolutions? Forget about it.
By Danny Kelly

Danny Kelly

I’m writing this commentary during New Year’s Eve—well, the morning of New Year’s Eve—and I have mixed feelings about 2008. Truth be told, the only thing on my mind right now is 2009.

You ever wake up in the morning and have that moment of clarity? You know, when you open your eyes and reality hits you in the face on so many levels simultaneously? For me, it can be overwhelming. Well, I’ve been getting that a lot more recently, and I think I can attribute it to good old 2009.

President-elect Barack Obama is the first thing that hits me in this frequent, early-morning realization. We’re getting a new president? Wow. But things have been the same for the last eight years. Heavy, man. And with the new president comes policy, staff, change, changes and more change. I never get anxious about a new year, but this year, I just have a feeling that things are going to change so dramatically, that as a country we may never be the same: Change for the better, dramatically better. Well, that’s what my gut says anyway, and I usually follow it where it leads me, unless it’s to fast food or Twinkies.

I’ve heard a saying, and it goes something like, “You have to hit bottom before you can go up.” Something along those lines. That’s how I feel about the state of our country right now; we’re pretty close to the bottom, with the war, economy and such. No place to go now but up.

Today is the last day of 2008, and I’m sure 20 years from now some magazine like Life or Time will reflect on it as a year that changed the world; more of an end note to a saga of historic milestones, but newsworthy and memorable nonetheless. The last day of a saga…

While I’ve heard a few friends and family talk about New Year’s resolutions, it’s been kind of off the cuff, and not really serious. I don’t think a lot of people are making resolutions this year. I don’t really have a New Year’s resolution either, and if I did have one, it would be to take 2009 one day at a time.

Am I alone here? I don’t think I am. I think a lot of people are going through this “realization” of things to come. When any country is going in any direction for more than a few years, and then changes, I don’t think it’s safe to call it “switching gears.” Switching gears is easy. This is more like changing cars out for the Jetsons’ flying car and robot maid Rosie.

And some may read this as I’m a super-fan of Barak Obama, which may be true or not. That’s not the point. The point: Things have to change for the better, and they are going to change, whether we are ready or not. Life must improve in this country. Our resilience is in question here. Can we overcome the war, the economy issues, the political dramas, the layoffs, the 2008-rewind-to-9/11?

Are you ready for 2009? I gotta be honest here, I really don’t feel prepared, but I’m up for the challenge. So our country endures, and so do I. I hope you do too, dear reader.

One day at a time, and long, deep breaths.