(I'm Not) On the Sidewalks of New York

It was tempting, but I didn't buy these glasses this afternoon. I did buy a liter of Diet Coke and some fancy popcorn, i.e., made by someone else with more salt and oil than I use at home. I'm now snugly tucked into my cozy apartment. I had a fun afternoon with my friend, M., watching a movie and then we treated ourselves to snacks out. We ended with a two mile walk.  I'm now blogging and then will do my Italian lessons on DuoLingo. I'll finish the evening watching the ball drop on television and toasting the new year with a Diet Coke on ice. 

My younger self would have found this a much too quiet evening. But my present self is very content. The thought of being in Times Square or anywhere in the twenty blocks around it is inconceivable. I was there in the years (three times) before double security checks. The first year I moved to New York I attended a costume party in a friend's office that looked out on to Times Square. It was the New Year's of 1976. The city was in dire straits, but I was young, employed and at the kind of party I'd always dreamed of attending. I remember leaving at 3:00 a.m. and snow was falling. It was as close to magic as I'd ever known. The friend has long since drifted into the past, I vaguely remember the man I walked outside with on January 1, 1976, but the memory of the snow lightly falling on the streets of New York remains with me. 

I'll return tomorrow with my perfect word for 2026. Until then I raise my glass of Diet Coke and toast all of the Citizens of Buttercupland. Thanks for being here, friends, and thanks so much for your gifts of friendship and support, laughter and kindness. Happy, healthy, peace and love now and always. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and see you next year.