I’ve been thinking a lot about optimism and pessimism and how both require the underlying belief that one understands with an absolute certainty the workings of the world.

The world, though, as we all were politely reminded of this year, is anything but consistent. When presented with an abundance of evidence that the future will be worse than the present, I remind myself that we don’t know actually that and that we never can.

I’ve only found comfort in the mystery, though, after also finding that, unlike this capricious world, real friendship can be certain, stable, something to call home.

Happy holidays, fellas.

See y’all at the Viking funeral for this past year of increasingly long nights, where we prepare for the day-lit one ahead of us 🙂

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A New Years’ Message to the Family