Im stuck in traffic on my way home. Mindlessly change the station on the radio and hear, magically, that tinkly intro to this song and all of a sudden, I am back at work on New Years Eve four years ago, dancing crazy joyfully with Deborah Holloway and Steve Gravelle (and Alison Levy, who was rolling her eyes but I think, secretly, loved it too). And the traffic breaks, and Im speeding down the highway, and I remember that this song -- which has nothing whatsoever to do with the holidays -- will always be my favorite New Years song. I mean, I know Im putting a lot of emotional resonance on one three-minute dance-break chunk of my life, but that night, I remember -- I just remember feeling so hopeless about the year that had just happened, so mired down in sadness, recent death, feeling stuck. So desperately needing to believe that better things were coming my way. In need of a change. And so we danced and clapped and yelled and screamed to this stupid wonderful song and took shots of Jim Beam and we left. And better things did, in fact, happen. Theres a lot I hate about New Years, but the stuff I love is when you access the tiny kernel of hope and potential and belief thats underneath all of the dumb parties and crowded traffic and loud noisemakers. Happy 2015 (a few days early) to you all. I hope your dog days are behind you.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 23:04:45 +0000