There are ghosts on New Years Eve and hobgoblins too. I am sure of it. Like All Hallows Eve and Mardi Gras, it is a night to celebrate chaos, drunkenness and the seven deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. My personal favorites are sloth and gluttony, However, I wonder if righteous indignation can be counted as wrath. If so, it would be at the top of my list.
My father used to say that one can only appreciate joy to the extent that one has known sorrow. I say that one can only be thankful for health to the degree that one has experienced disease and injury. Perhaps we can only value the potential for creation in our future after we have fallen into the abyss of chaos.
When I was a child, in bed and in pain from a bruised knee or swollen ankle, my father would say, “Things will be better in the morning.” They often were. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new calendar year. Tonight the end of the old year is calling darkness and fear. Tomorrow, I will lean towards the future, but tonight I must embrace the past.
My Turn 