Don't Fear The Reaper

Happy New Year!

If you're reading this, you lived all through 2008 and made it to 2009! Some of you continue to amaze both yourselves and all of us by doing so, so let's celebrate being here for a second.

"You should always go to other people's funerals. Otherwise, they won't come to yours." - Yogi Berra

I tend to become philosophical every year at this time. We always take down the Christmas decorations and put gifts away on 1/1, and it's a sad thing to say goodbye to the best season of the year - the holiday season - the most wonderful time of the year, according to Andy Williams, and me.

In the last week of every year, magazines and news programs always salute the dignitaries and noteworthy individuals who have passed away over the year about to run out. 2008 was no exception, a year in which we said goodbye to Paul Newman, George Carlin, Eddy Arnold, Mr Blackwell, Estelle Getty, Isaac Hayes, Mark Felt, Bernie Mac, Suzanne Pleshette and Jerry Reed. Clearly, another sad year for departures.

I'm not much for New Year's resolutions but here is something I think about quite a bit. Am I living so that I am enjoying life as much as I could? Am I doing the right thing for as many others as I ought to, do people regard me as a worthy part of their lives, and would they miss me if I were to, shall we say, step out of the picture for the next eternity or so?

Now, please don't take this as a foreshadowing. I'm not sitting here having come from the doctor's office or anything. I'm just saying, if we all only get a certain amount of days on this earth - and that's been 100% right so far - I want to make them good days for as many people as I can. Comes the finish line, and I don't think anyone's going to care who had the most Monopoly money or hotels on the boardwalk or shares of Reading RR. I want us to have a monopoly on happiness and I want to share it with you.