Looking Forward … who needs Nostradamus?

Well, over the years I’ve tried to write the first column of the year predicting what I think will happen during the new year. Obviously, most of us got it wrong last year … not that my projections would have made any difference.

So, I’m just going to get down to 2021. The same people will probably be in the news. Megan Markle, Harry and Archie will find something to do … and sell. Former President Trump will be looking for that phone his wife threw out the window on the way to Florida. The new administration will be trying to look “new.” Store clerks, restaurant workers, and small businesses will be vying for our business while we try to remember how to eat and shop in public.

Speaking of shopping in the fashion world … In 2021, there won’t be much change … Although I did not buy any new clothes during the last nine months, I am well-known for my fashion sense. I have watched every episode of Project Runway over the years, and for a time I had a subscription to Seventeen Magazine. Granted that was a long time ago, but that magazine taught me everything I needed to know about “style.”

Most of us are going to be at home well into next year. Sweatpants and t-shirts are still going to be the go-to outfits, but some of us have resorted to wearing the good stuff … mainly be cause we’ve been eating so much (behind closed doors), that we think these dress pants and nice shirts should be worn while they still fit. I found a Christmas sweater from a couple of weeks ago. It was a size smaller than I needed, but I wore it anyway. Now, I must admit wearing Spanks under a Christmas sweater is not fun at the grocery store, but that cute little shiny thing will probably never see another “season.” I’m just glad I got out of the store before I fainted, and they had to bring in the EMTs. Getting out of Spanks for an EKG is a lot of trouble.

As to lifestyle changes … I predict that we will never go back to the “clean as a pin,” “party shaped,” “company ready” homes some of us grew up in. Those phrases were ones used by my mother along with implied threats and promised consequences. Covid would not have killed mother if she’d been alive in 2020. That pile of dirty clothes in the back of my closet would have.

Since we’ve had very little outside company at my house this year, cleaning hasn’t been a priority. I figured I’ve mopped the kitchen four times … since March. I cleaned the refrigerator when I knocked over that jar of orange juice in June. And I’ve changed the sheets every time Dixie has tracked mud up onto the bed. But, we haven’t had much rain.

Starting a new year is a challenge. I’ve got to change my ways. I’ve got to quit complaining about my “elderly” body. I’ve got to get out and see some people … even if it is from a distance. I’ve got to start keeping up with the news and learning to talk about something besides myself. I’ve got to wash my hair … it’s 2021.