Welcome, 2017!

It wasn't 2016's fault when things, many things, went wrong.  That would be like saying that my crystal ball should be punished for making 'wrong' predictions (although, that said, I do not consult it for nothing).  People simply thought they wanted 'change', whatever meaning they attached to this word.  For some, 'change' means returning to something old and staying old, meaning that they think it should never have changed.  For others, 'change' means being in a situation where they are not being forced or even persuaded to have norms, values, and priorities that they don't subscribe to.  It would appear that for many others, change will have to mean adjusting to the new 'order' of things -- making room for those who mean to destroy, giving them the freedom to see what kind of damage their choices will cause, allowing them to make mistakes without the guarantee of any learning curve or safety net.  While I try to maintain a positive attitude towards this new year, I can only say that it will be in connection with our 'little corner'.  Our house(s) will be in order (we hope the first one will be sold quickly), our daily routine will get back on track as soon as the break is over, our health will be restored (right now, it's just the flu), the court cases will be settled, hopefully in our favour, our travel plans will push through, we'll remain out of debt.  Circumstances elsewhere are reminding us that with all the 'changes' going on it's best to stay grounded on our own reality.  As we express concern for the plight of others and do our best to help where we can, let's not forget that we are still responsible for ourselves.  It's the easiest thing to get scared or worried or angry, and I have been all of these these past months, but it doesn't and won't do any good.  We need to find the peace deep in ourselves again and face the world with it, and the best way to do that is by not forgetting that it's by taking care of ourselves that our corner of the world will be fine.  A Philippine acquaintance now living in the US once remarked how worried she is about our countrymen once in a while because there's still so much poverty and corruption and ineptitude 'back there', and what could she do about it?  I told her to make sure she's okay and take care of herself.  She asked me how that would help our fellow Filipinos, and I told her, 'You are one of those Filipinos.  If you took care of yourself, that would mean one less Filipino to worry about.'  I believe in that, still.

We welcome the challenges of this coming year, or, rather, we welcome preparing ourselves to face them.  We wish you ALL THE BEST FOR 2017!