Reasons to be cheerful in 2012

Thursday, 19 January 2012

As the end of a year approaches how often do you hear the comment: "I'll be glad to see the back of this year."? 2011 seems to have had more than the usual quota of gloom and doom, so it can be expected that this year it could be a global cry.

Apart from the military conflict in Afghanistan, we've witnessed civil unrest in many other countries, floods and famine in elsewhere - so much human suffering worldwide.

And now, to cap it all, Britain is having to suffer the ignominy of being snubbed and isolated by the rest of Europe. "Things can't possibly get worse," I've heard it said recently, and more than once.

So then, my take on that is, there is only one way to go - and that's up. Let's look to 2012 with a positive attitude. While the politicians thrash out the pros and cons of being in/out of Europe, why don't we lowlier souls focus on the positive, brighter things to look forward to in the coming year?

There's the Queen's Jubilee to celebrate, the Olympic Games, an event we'll find impossible to ignore. Equally important are the personal family events: the arrival of a new member, the achievements of a child or grandchild and even - if the latest news is anything to go by - the assurance of better health care for the elderly!

I remember my grandfather trying to console me when I broke a favourite toy with the words: "I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet."

At the age of four I found little consolation in those words. I didn't even understand what they meant. But he made me learn them and I'm glad that he did; they've sustained me through my own tragedies.

If 2011 is as bad as it gets, then 2012 has got to be better and, especially, I hope, for all Mature Times readers. A Happy New year!