It is now officially 2023….what? I remember when 2000 was coming and no one knew what would happen, as it was the turn of the millennium. It is laughable now, 23 years later, but back then at one minute to midnight we all held our breath and waited. Nothing blew up, quit, and the world didn’t end, thank goodness.
Now the years seem to go by faster, unlike what I thought when I was a kid, and I can hardly keep up with the 52 weeks we have. In the newsroom, we are always writing ahead, but the current week is the one we are attending events, and doing interviews, so time seems to blur from this week into the next.
As I look back over the past year, I realize I need to set some things straight to go forward.
A column is the one place we are allowed to voice an opinion, the rest of the time, it is straight news. In writing about how we feel or view events, we often upset one segment of people or another. I’ve gotten the mail to prove it.
I sometimes use popular or the common slang of the times, and have found people take exception. When I have questioned actions of the day, or not questioned events or made comments, I hear about that too.
Basically, no matter my opinion, reaction is often swift, sometimes kind, but often the keyboard warriors share their displeasure or opinion about my opinion, and it can be abruptly personal and cruel.
Since we don’t respond online to anything, I will say my apologies now.
If in the past year I have said something which offended you, I apologize. If I disagreed with your point of view, I apologize. If I didn’t write something about which you felt strongly about, I apologize for that too. There are only 52 chances for me to irk people, and I’m sorry there are not more opportunities. LOL
Now for the new year, I will have 52 more chances to offend the population, so for future offences, I apologize now. If I haven’t gotten around to an offensive opinion, I surely will, and — you’ve got it — I apologize.
So with all that being said, my conscious clear, my atonements made, I will carry forth into the new year happy and at peace.
I look forward to telling your stories, helping make sense of the information stream, attending events and reporting on them, and remember, if I mess something up, I have apologized in advance.
Please feel free to continue to comment, correct, fuss, complain and occasionally praise, though, as we do love hearing from you. Just not the cussing out part.
Just remember if you “put yourself out there,” every day of the week like we do, you might offend someone too, so please be gentle. I apologize for saying that too.
Happy New Year and all the very best for 2023.