BND columnist ponders new year’s anecdotes as 2021 arrives amid COVID-19

What a perturbing, pitiful, painful, pathetic passionate period of pessimism we went through last year with the pandemic.

That’s a lot of P words with pessimism pulling the parade. It seems like that darn glass isn’t just half empty, it’s nearly drained. I only hope Optimists International can hang on.

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up until midbiught to make sure the old year leaves,” wrote humorist Bill Vaughn.

The situation makes you look askance at the new year. But we’re not the first. Ogden Nash had a ditty for the occasion.

“...Hark! It’s midnight children dear.

Duck! Here comes another year.”

Oscar Wilde observed that “Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.”

A few years ago, Jay Leno thought there at least was some consolation in what was to come for the new year.

“Now there are more overweight people in America than average weight people. So overweight people are now average which means you have met your New Year’s resolution.”

And some people were willing to forgive themselves even before transgressing.

“My New Year’s resolution was to drop my bad habits but no one likes a quitter.” Sure who said that because on the internet a lot of people ignore sources.

The same goes for a lot of funny quotations.

“Get ready for new mistakes in the new year ‘cause I can’t change.”

And a warning from all us husbands to all the wives.

“Though I am wishing you a happy New Year, remember you still have the same old husband.”

Back to the P words, we can plan for problematic periods, praise peaceful perceptions and positively prognosticate but as always performance may vary with perception.

Unfortunately, “The difference between a new year and the old one is one minute past midnight,” as some sage said.