The ecologist Aldo Leopold once said that the months from January to June are a progression of distractions. The start of 2020 was the beginning of a deadly, pervasive distraction which took the lives of 300,000 Americans.
So I look forward, in hope, to the new year we begin today. The promise of widespread vaccination should, by summer, put the pandemic behind us.
Having just turned 70, my goal is to return to Colorado for one final hike to the summit of Mt. Elbert, my "happy place" and the state's highest point. Whether this aging body can accomplish the task still remains to be seen.
Rather than make resolutions, I now like to think in terms of goals. Perhaps this goal will not be met, but I can retain the memories of those years when I did succeed--at age 23, then 60, and most recently 65.
Whether you are young and have a lifetime of opportunities ahead of you, or--like me--are in the final season of your life, I hope you will today welcome the coming year with hope, and with dreams of your own to sustain you.
I'm Jim Kline, and that is my Perspective.
