2016 is fading fast and before the bell tolls, I need to have a final say.

For me, the world seemed crazy this year. Violence and aggression dominated the news. Many people lost their lives and a few were annihilated on social media.  One’s world can change in a flash, in reality as well as in the ether. An angry outburst on facebook or twitter, can shut you down while you’re sleeping.  The send button is unforgiving and human error is not factored in anymore.  It’s easy to be harsh or cold, when there is no eye contact to soften your stand.  Tone of voice doesn’t translate well in a quick rant on twitter.  Hasty emails replace long, meaningful letters.  Texting is cheaper than a phone call. Plans can be made and changed in a whats app flash.  Time spent in front of our computers steals precious minutes from that walk on the beach, or the swim in the sea. Our world in 2016 spun into a whirlwind of anger, misunderstanding,  revenge, hate and loss.  And yet…

Despite the grim backdrop, many good things happened too.  The inherent kindness in people shone through the darkness.  Friends helped each other out.  Strangers linked arms to fight fires, rescue others from raging oceans, provide food and blankets to people in need.  Despite the craziness, people found time to grieve friends’ passing and comfort their loved ones.  Policemen shared their lunch with street children and rescued chicks from drains. In the real world, the one where our feet touch the grass and connect with mother earth, we do still care about one another.  Love is alive and support is a touch away.  We are still achingly human after all.

So perhaps I shall add more resolutions.  In 2017, I’ll make more time for walks on the beach with friends. I’ll pick up the phone and talk, rather than send another quick text. I’ll dive under the waves and let the sea water drown my worries.  I’ll join a dancing class and dust my piano off. I’ll spend a little less time in the cyber world and a lot more time in the real one.  That way, I’ll remind myself of who I really am and why I’m on this planet.

I may even begin my next story…