What to Dread in the New Year

The Times has a great article on What New Yorkers Should Dread in the New Year

Despite the fact that I can't believe 2008 feels like it went by quickly, it felt unbelievably rough, being that it was an extremely bad year, possibly the worst year on wall street. I guess there isn't too much more to say about that, other than I don't think I'll ever again witness the magnitude of events that unfolded in the financial industry again as we did this year (at least.. I hope we won't).

There were some great things about the year too though...

• most notably, the birth of our niece, Madeleine, who's brought joy to all of us! (and insomnia to her parents!)
  
• we got to see Paris, and almost live like Parisians, (well, sort of)
  
• we got to see Cancun
  
• we got to celebrate July 4th properly on our terrace for the first time, and spent many more lazy summer weekends and nights out on it too...
  
• celebrating year two of married bliss (which we celebrated at the now-closed Cafe Gray)
  
• ... and the simpler things too, like finally getting what all the hype is around Shake Shack and eating more burgers from them that two people probably... should.
  

So what do I dread in the new year...? I think the Times article has it right. On a serious note, all things considered, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Everyone's looking to fatten up their piggy banks, and we will be too. I have to honestly say though that while we may have been looking forward to a bigger kitchen, a nicer refrigerator, a bigger TV, and maybe a new iPhone... The prospect of not buying anything, and not having any discretionary spending until maybe 2010 actually honestly... doesn't bother me much. We're still in a beautiful apartment that we love, we have our health, our family, our friends, and most of all of course, we have each other.

2009 is going to be a year of everyone fattening up their piggy banks, surprisingly sucky desperate measures like taxes on soda, more MTA fare hikes, probably higher crime and unemployment, but it won't be armageddon. The depression-like pictures in our minds seem to have less and less likelihood of actually becoming a reality. And by that perspective, I feel that there's actually very little to dread in the new year... To be honest... perhaps even more, perhaps far much more to look forward to in 2009 than there is to dread...