Good Riddance to 2009 and the Whole Blipping Decade

Thank goodness this decade - the Oughts, the Zeros - is over! It was truly awful. Just think about all the catastrophes America has been through.

• Bush was inaugurated after stealing the election. I wasn't thrilled but I had no idea how bad he would be.
• Shortly thereafter, September 11 totally destroyed our sense of security and issued in the Islamic fundamentalist war against America.
• We suffered through two wars: the war of choice against Iraq which just increased the number of Islamic fanatics who hate America - and the war in Afghanistan which was so terribly bungled that it is not only still ongoing but threatens our nation's security.
• There have been continued terrorist attacks all over the world - they can appear anywhere at any time.
• We started the decade with the bursting of "tech bubble" and ended it with a near total economic catastrophe. In between we had other economic disasters like Enron, WorldCom, etc. And don't forget all those big name companies that either disappeared or went bankrupt.
• The American Dream is disappearing. Middle class incomes declined during the decade, and unemployment rose. Housing values plummeted. The price of gas kept growing. The number of Americans without health insurance increased steadily, along with overall health care costs. The percentage living below the poverty line increased significantly, and the gap between the richest and the poorest got wider and wider.
• Then the disaster that affected us the most - Katrina and the bungling of the federal government.
• We had more mass murders and school shootings than any other decade - from the DC Sniper to the VA Tech shootings to the Ft Hood massacre.
• We even had endless scandals involving politicians and sports heroes - too numerous to mention.

It wasn't a good decade for me personally either. I endured cancer, divorce, and major financial setbacks. This New Year's Eve, more than any other, I am really looking forward to a new year - and a new decade. It can't be much worse, and there are many signs it might be a whole lot better. Starting next year (tomorrow), I'll be looking for those positive signs and making the most of them.

PS. I highly recommend this moving photographic essay of the decade which has been put together by the New York Times using photographs submitted by its readers.

Betrayal

I took him in, gave him shelter when he was hurt and in exile from somewhere he'd long forgotten. He immediately gave over his heart and became a steady and loving companion.

I went away for ten days recently and came back to find him gone. I looked for him, called for him. I was certain he'd be back within a matter of hours; he knew I was looking for him; surely he'd not forgotten me.

Days went by with no word from him, no sight of him. I asked around and no one had seen him. Then one day he was back at my doorstep eager to reunite...momentarily. Then he was off again but came back the next day. I put my arms around him, held him close. Ah! I smelled a pleasant but unfamiliar scent...perfume! He must have found a new place, a new person in his life. He'd betrayed me!

My beautiful Boy Kitty found love down the street and I've decided that an occasional visit will suffice and that his new friend must need his loving and sweet companionship.