Melissa, I always read your communications and have no idea how I missed your husband's operations. I can only hope that he's doing well and that there is nothing serious going on. Overall it seems your plate was full. Congratulations on your daughter's graduation and her entry into university.

Here it's been a disastrous political situation that has induced constant anxiety and upset, as with the knowledge that we are close to a doomsday situation in regard to the environment. The endless drought is becoming increasingly stressful. Nevertheless the roses carry on and so do we.

I frankly don't hold out great overall improvement in our political and environmental problems, but in my own personal sphere I treasure the love of family and friends. I'm trying to live in something of a cocoon, where outside matters that I have no power to influence cannot penetrate too deeply. I'm happy that I can support numerous animal welfare and environmental agencies which make me feel that I can make a small difference in helping to alleviate the suffering of many animals, domestic and wild.

Melissa, the best that can be said of a year like that is that it's character-building... Sometimes we do need a reminder of how lucky we really are, overall.

Virginia

In addition to those things you mention above, I hit an age milestone (colonoscopies are soooo much fun, let me tell you, not to mention that during the process I discovered I was allergic to mangos...after drinking about a gallon of mango juice), my father passed away, and I finally quit the soul-sucking torture pit job (that my father was so proud of). I'm all for a better 2018.

Ingrid, I don't think I said anything about it at the time on the forum. Partly I was quite worried, and I have some tendency to stay quiet about serious worries. Tolerably happy ending, though.

I'm probably temperamentally disposed to pessimism, and the world needs its ration of pessimists, though life is hard for the pessimists themselves. I do think that we can help ourselves by living in the moment--very much in the moment--which doesn't mean neglecting our responsibilities to our fellow men and to the natural world. One can do both. When you think about it, it's logically absurd to believe that we should wait until the world is a safe and happy place before allowing ourselves to be happy, too. There was never a golden age. There has always been plenty of suffering to go around, and yet people have always had picnics and gone dancing and swum at the beach and given delightful dinner parties.

At the moment what I'm probably looking forward to most is going to visit a boy, a young friend, in a couple of days and engaging him in a brisk discussion of the first chapter of 'A Christmas Carol'. He has to read it over the holidays and hasn't been doing so, but he agreed he would read that much and we talk about it. I want to get him interested in reading. I know 'A Christmas Carol' very well, and perhaps my enthusiasm will communicate itself. This boy has the great good quality of being ready to talk to the grownups in his life.

P.S. (cross post with noseometer) Hear, hear! I hope your coming year is a much happier one, too!

Yes, I’m ready for a fresh start as well. Worries over children, my boys not my daughter, have been stressful. My health hasn’t taken any big changes, but I feel myself weakening. I’m thankful for my garden, even though it doesn’t look the greatest. It does keep me active and the Dr. says I’d be weaker if it wasn’t for that. I enjoy my kitties and Millie is visiting right now. I wish everyone and their loved ones health and happiness this coming year. Oh, and rain for those of us that need it so desperately. Lisa

I've had a few difficult moments this year, but I'm really very lucky. I'm healthy, as are my children, and I have enough to live on. My daughter is on the other side of Australia, and may well stay there, or go to Italy, but she is happy, so I don't worry about her.

I'm sorry that so many here have health issues. They are the most worrying of all. My only health issue is being overweight, and I can do something about that - I tell myself, hopefully!

I completely agree with you Ingrid, about the state of the world. Stephen Hawking's predictions are grim, but not too far from what my own thoughts have been. But, I do what I can in a small way. (The absurdity of Australia building more coal mines!)

Melissa, you (as usual) put it so well. I wish your husband much strength for his next operation, and you too. Difficult times indeed.

I'm hoping for rain for dry areas and an improving climate for dealing with the current challenges to our democracy. I'm hoping for the young to rise up and lead the world to greater peace and concern for our planet.

Well put!

Best wishes ,Melissa,and to all of you and your loved ones. I pray for a good, healthy,happy and serene New Year for one and all. "The best way to fight evil is to make progress in the good",says the I Ching.

I thank everybody for my share of the good wishes, and offer my own to everybody who's going through difficulties: there seem to be a good many of us now. Even so I think that overall we're among the luckier people on the planet.

Right on the nose, bart. I wish that the numerous world leaders who believe that aggression, verbal and physical, substitutes for diplomacy, understood as much.

By the way, cath, you're right. Years like 2017 do make a person appreciate the years that do go well. We've had a long run of good ones. Paula, thanks. I didn't talk about Ottavio's surgery here, which is why no one knew about it. I had actually forgotten my forum silence on the matter when I brought it up in this post. It dominated several weeks of our late winter and spring, and would have dominated them considerably more had Ottavio not recovered so well. Iron man! Anyway, he's looking pretty good now, though I continue to keep an alert eye on him.

noseometer, were we separated at birth? I also lost my father and had my first colonoscopy this past year. And I had an anaphylactic reaction, though it was to a chemo drug (or component thereof, rather).

I like your I Ching wisdom, bart, and hope that we can all make some progress in the good.

Virginia

bart, making progress in the good is a great mood elevator for me. I've found that helping an animal organization and seeing the positive results (for instance dogs rescued from the dog meat trade in China and other countries, or achieving more humane treatment for domestic animals here) gives me more happiness than anything I could buy for myself. I wish I had millions to give away, but what I can do brings such gratification.

Melissa, wish your husband a good health . Surgery will go well and look forward to fast recovery.

I hope this year will be a great year to everyone.

Jin

Happy New Year to all my forum friends.

I too am glad 2017 is over. Not to wish my life away for sure but hopefully the troubles that followed us this year will quietly slink away under this beautiful full moon tonight.

I think our health is the most important thing in our lives. If we don't have that then we can't enjoy the gardens, family, friends or all the wealth in the world.

I am fortunate in that I don't need much in earthly matters. My humble little home, my family and pets keep me content. My roses are just the icing on the cake. As long as I can get my knees dirty now and then and stop to smell the roses then life is good.

There are times I wish I could wave a magic wand and make the troubles of all disappear but alas I don't enjoy those kind of powers, hopefully my prayers will in some small way ease your burdens. I think as long as we create a bit of peace in our own yards then in some way we contribute to the planet in a good way, so you see we each do our part to make this world lovelier.

Valerie

I totally agree with you,Valerie. Thank you for your beautiful post and your prayers. Best wishes to all for a healthy, happy 2018.

I've not had that great a year either, quite an expensive one actually, so I'm quite happy to see the back of it. I'm sorry for everyone's problems, but I think if we keep sharing our roses, verbally or photographically, then it helps soften the blows. Well, I hope so.

A wonderful thread of New Year's sentiments! I, too, will be most pleased to see the backside of 2017. I toast 2018 with you all. Let's enjoy a year of roses, time with those we love, appreciation of our diverse gifts and understanding of our diverse needs. Let's join hands and work toward a world which values care and quality of life for all. I wish you health and healing and precious moments of joy in the coming year! Thank you for your invaluable rose advice and irreplaceable friendship in 2017. I look forward to all the shared adventures that 2018 will bring to us! Carol

Melissa, I always enjoy reading your down-to-earth, heart of the matter posts. Words from a well-balanced pessimist who offers a good dose of straight up realism :-) I celebrate your many blessings, and I will be holding your husband in my thoughts as he continues his medical procedures. My collie sends healing thoughts to your cat, and we both send our deepest sympathy for the loss of your beloved dog. Grief takes its own time. I am already asking the universe to send regular and manageable doses of rain to your region in 2018, preferably accompanied by cool breezes carrying the fragrance of wisteria, honeysuckle and roses.

Noseometer, you just gave me the best medicine. I laughed out loud with our shared experiences of awful ways of making a living and awful ways of keeping our health! Congratulations on jettisoning your "soul-sucking torture pit job"! That is truly cause for celebration, and your description is so spot on. I joined the 2017 colonoscopy club alongside you and Virginia (minus the allergic reaction to mango juice, thankfully). On a heartfelt and serious side, I send my sympathy and empathy to you both regarding the loss of your fathers. Mine passed in 2016.

Valerie, it's a privilege to get my knees and fingernails dirty alongside you on the forum!

My voice joins all of yours in a demand for immediate and worldwide recognition of the need for serious, intentional environmental research and protection.

Carol

Thanks, Carol. We need to make sure that the privileges that we forum members enjoy--without knowing the socio-economic status of the folks who post here, I have a strong impression that most of us are doing relatively well, not mired in poverty, homeless, or living in slums--get shared by a larger number of our fellow human beings than is currently the case. And we need to support the spread of informed, responsible democracy: it's the only road to a relatively peaceful world.

I most decidedly concur, Melissa! Carol

Me, too, Melissa and Carol. In light of my own present serious health issue,I can only be filled with gratitude that I live in a country where such excellent health care is available to me; if we lived in the USA I seriously doubt that we could afford the kind of treatment I'm getting now (I, for example, do not have a job for which I am paid.) So let me add that we absolutely need to support and foster the spread of high-quality,affordable health care to ALL people ,not just to those who have high-enough paying jobs that permit them to have decent insurance. It should be a right, not a privilege.