Donna asks: What are your plans for the new year? What encouraging words can we tell our young people to keep them out of trouble?
Hi Donna –
If you’re referring to the New Year’s Eve/Day holiday, my plans are simple. To stay at home, lying on Handsome’s bed, with my head as buried under his pillow as I can, so I don’t have to hear all the yelling, the horns, the screaming, and any fireworks or (how stupid can humans get!) guns being shot into the air. I’ll lie there, hoping Handsome is able to drive home from whatever party he’s at without being hit and hurt by some drunk in a car… and then, once he’s home, I’ll curl up next to him and sleep so deeply and happily, knowing he’s safe and we survived another year.
Then the next day, hopefully he’ll take me out to a park or something, since he has the day off from work. But if the weather’s too bad, or if he’s away at some party, I’ll probably just sleep some more!
But if what you meant was what my plans are for 2012, Donna, I have some great ones! I plan to catch more squirrels, to bark at every dog who passes by our home, to lick even more people’s noses than I did in 2011, and to run faster and jump higher than I ever did before. Beyond that, I really would love to build my website to where it can help even more people.
But to answer your other question, I’ll throw these encouraging words out there: The best thing about the new year is all the friends I had last year who I still have. The worst thing about the new year is the friends I had last year who I can’t see now – whether it’s because they got in such trouble they were locked away, or because they did some bad things to Handsome or me that meant we’re not friends anymore, or – worst of all – if they’re not alive anymore. So what I want to encourage all of my pack members most is to not do anything that will ruin your life, or end your friendships, or (shudder!) end your life! Instead, do some of the fifty million things that don’t tend to have those results! Live, laugh, love, play, sing, dance, chase squirrels, chase each other, hug and kiss a lot, fight fair when you fight, tell the truth, be kind… and remember each morning that the day that’s coming just might be the best day of your life, so be prepared for something wonderful to happen. Like, one day, Handsome was making pancakes, and as he was carrying one from the pan to the plate, it slipped off the spatula and hit the floor. If I hadn’t been ready to jump right onto it, he might have gotten to it first!!!
Thanks, and Happy New Year to You!
Shirelle