It's time for New Year's hopes and wishes

Instead of New Year’s resolutions, I prefer to offer up New Year’s hopes and wishes —such as I hope Kanye West keeps the six-month vow of silence he’s promised, and I wish he’d stay quiet even longer.

I learned a long time ago that keeping New Year’s resolutions is hard, might be near impossible even. Sure, some folks can do it, and don’t you just hate them for it. About the only resolution I do make every year is to be a better person in the next 12 months, and if that doesn’t work, then to at least not be any worse.

What I have found is that if I go with New Year’s hopes and wishes, then I’m happy if they come true, and not especially disappointed if they don’t. Since most people’s resolutions fall to the wayside, they’re stuck with disappointment.

So, it’s time to make my list of New Year’s hopes and wishes.

•I wish people would stop getting upset over trivial stuff. So what if a celebrity, or somebody on a TV show, or even a politician says something (a) stupid, (b) offensive, or (c) both. At some point, all of us put a foot in our mouths, and on occasion, both feet. We say something that we know was dumb the instant the last syllable left our mouth. At some point, most of us will say something other folks find offensive. Then, we go on about our business. If some public figure does it, folks go crazy, and I’ll never understand why. Supporters won’t change their minds, detractors won’t change theirs, either, and plastering social media with ever-increasing nonsense won’t change things.

•I hope Miley Cyrus finds her clothes, and that the media stops thinking every time she sticks out her tongue, wiggles her tush, or breaks wind that it’s newsworthy. She’s following the current Disney child star path of celebrity —innocent tween and teen idol, twentysomething wild child, then either matured individual who’s learned to use talent instead of outrageous behavior, or a guest on “Whatever became of ...” reviews. I do wish she would stop sticking her tongue out anytime there’s a camera nearby; it just makes her look stupid.

•I hope TV programming gets better this coming year. How many more “reality” shows can they make? Enough, already. Please, put writers back to work and give us scripted shows for escapism, not “reality” shows about folks who could be the people next door, or our own families. That is if they’re tattooed, redneck, polygamist Amish little people who take part in child beauty pageants while living in swamps and pawning things they bought in abandoned storage units owned by has-been rock stars who now create custom-built lawn mowers delivered by truckers driving roads cleared by lumberjacks that lead to real psychic housewives trying to become barbecue-cooking, ghost-hunting, singing models. Almost makes you miss “My Mother, the Car.”

•I wish the upcoming election year will pass as quickly and painlessly as possible with less animosity and more working together for the people. Yeah, right, like that’s going to happen.

•I hope, and wish, we could hear nothing this year from or more about the Kardashians, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Beyonce, Flo from Progressive, that stupid K-Mart Christmas commercial, Taylor Swift, Lance Armstrong, any living politician, George Zimmerman, Sarah Palin, Piers Morgan, Pat Robertson, Rush Limbaugh, Jennifer Aniston, Honey Boo Boo, that guy who did the Barnes &Noble Christmas commercials, and the women who kept making bad choices when buying spaghetti sauce.

•Most of all, I hope, and wish, we all can learn to get along together better; realize that not everyone agrees on everything nor believes the same way, and it’s all right; that it’s OK to express ideas and opinions because we all have our own, even if they’re not popular; that the new year will be better than the old with good health, good fortune and good will for all.

Happy New Year, y’all!