Who By Fire? Who By Water?

 So the dark side of my soul, often overpowered by the lighter side, was inspired today to prepare for the coming New Year by listening to Leonard Cohen's "Who By Fire?" Of course, his masterpiece is written based on the Rosh Hashonah prayers, where Jews are asked to ponder who shall live in the coming year, and who shall not be included in the Book of Life. And the prayer is kind enough to further question the method of death for those whose destiny will be to no longer join us on this mortal coil.

The song is terrific, but very different in tone from the typical Anglo Saxon Auld Lang Syne we sing on New Year's Day. But both are, of course, reflective -- questioning loss as well as gain.

I've been dealing with a night cough, courtesy of Little Man, who we slept with last Monday and Tuesday nights. Friday night I had it, too, but luckily it's one of those "sounds worse than it is" viruses -- I did a Covid test yesterday just to insure I can be around people -- it was clearly negative. It's definitely going around, my trainer Jonathan told me he's been battling it for nearly 2 weeks, and son in law Jonathan had it for awhile before he finally called his doc and got a Z pack -- it cleared up. Of course, Dr. Barry, detester of un-needed antibiotics, would opine that Jonathan's recovery was coincidental to the Z pack. He's probably correct -- but if the cough is still around Friday, I'll probably call Dr. Rigo for one as well -- no fun waking up from a sleep for this stuff.

So as I'm typing, a hard rain's a-fallin outside -- hopefully bringing another cold front to give us some firepit weather early in 2025. I so enjoy sitting outside at night -- martini or hot herbal tea in hand, looking skyward and letting the Big Man's gloried existence fall down upon me.

There was a great photo that came up on FaceBook (tm) memories of last year -- a group of us together. Since then, one of those included is in a nursing home fighting to walk again, a few others have aged past wanting to travel anymore, and others have had major life changes, too. Yep -- life moves pretty darned fast.

Our plan is to leave here early for Wifey to pick up some prescriptions she "as always left for the last minute." She is SO quirky -- when I have a scrip due, I order at least a month in advance -- but that's not the way Wifey rolls. I have a feeling the pharmacies may close early, and she'll have to survive until January 2.

From there, we're headed to the Gables to meet Barry, Scott, Donna, and Sam -- for a cocktail before dinner. Their younguns are headed to a get together in Broward, and the old-uns are having dinner at the Gables Motek. Wifey and I are off to Joelle and Kenny for dinner -- and likely home well before 2025 is upon the Eastern US time zone.

I think we have tentative plans to see the grandkids and their parents and tia and tio on Friday -- also Wifey and my 38th anniversary. I can't think of a better way to celebrate what the plan was back in January of 1987 -- build a life together with kids and grandkids.

Wifey and I are both orphans for quite awhile now, so thankfully the efforts are to the young. I joke all the time that I am openly anti-old people. It's wrong, I know, especially since we're nearly there.

We got a call from Wifey's friend Sheryl from Boston -- Wifey's friends, with one exception, all call ME, since Wifey rarely answers her calls or texts. Sheryl suggested we meet for dinner Thursday -- were we up for it? Of course. And then she strategically mentioned that her 90 year old mother was coming along!

Now, the lady is nice enough, but I kind of feel like I served my time in the caring for oldsters army -- Sheryl knew if she proposed dinner with the nonogenarian, we might have had a conflict. Classic Sheryl -- backed us into a corner. I'm sure it will be a lovely evening -- but I much prefer the young to the old.

So I'm already preparing crankiness for the new year. That's a bad sign -- but maybe good. 5 years ago, using my English 101 level skills for symbolism, I thought that 2020 was going to be the "year of perfect vision." And then came Covid! So maybe planning for less than stellar can be a positive thing.

Regardless -- here's to a 2025 of great health and laughter. And may the answer be NONE BY Fire, and NONE by water...