I have written this column for more than five years, which amazes me. I do it to make you laugh and because I like to write. That’s it. I share a lot about my life, sometimes to the embarrassment of my own family! But 2020 has been tough—people call it a dumpster fire, the year that won’t end and a train wreck. It has brought out anger in people I’ve not seen before regarding the election, pandemic and pretty much anything else you can think of. I’ve hesitated to put up a yard sign or bumper sticker to support a candidate.
Coming up with topics has been challenging. For the first time, I felt the need to edit myself. Rather than Patty Unleashed, it was Patty Being Careful Not to Offend. So I wonder, should we look to Seinfeld and Frank Costanza for help? Does our country need to celebrate Festivus where we air all our grievances and compete in feats of strength? Or is that the problem? Is there already too much Festivus?
So in 2021, I’ve decided I am going to take advice from some smart people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Lewis who sadly left us in 2020 instead of old sitcoms. I will clean up my social media. There is no reason to follow those that cause my blood pressure to rise, nor is there a reason to reply with a snarky comment. I also am going to start reading a wider variety of publications, not just ones that
I agree with already.
Any chance you will join me? If not, I still have these wishes for you in 2021.
… that your pants zip all the way up and you don’t have to go on a crash diet once you get the COVID-19 vaccine. Elastic has been our friend, but at some point the zipper will be back!
… that your house stays as organized as it is right now. If you still haven’t gotten around to putting those photos into albums, cut yourself some slack and keep them in that big bag shoved in the closet.
… that you and your friends sit at a local restaurant and spend all the money you saved by not dining out on an amazing meal that leaves everyone stuffed and a little tipsy and the waiter with a nice big tip.
… that you look at yourself in the mirror and realize that aging gracefully is actually possible. Perhaps our time spent trying to reverse aging could be better used learning to like ourselves just the way we are.
… that on those mornings when you are standing in the shower and can’t face one more day, you think of the impish grin of Eddie Van Halen and start singing his song “Jump”: “I get up and nothing gets me down … Might as well jump. Go ahead and jump, JUMP!” (For those of a certain age, be careful to not jump on the soap!)
Happy holidays! I hope to see you next year—the unbridled version of myself. Peace, my peeps!
