Happy New Year 2018!

Right now, as I type this – and as you read this – cities around the world are shooting off spectacular displays of fireworks and gathering for intricately planned celebrations to say Good-bye to 2017, and more importantly, HELLO to 2018!

Here’s a beautiful display from Sydney, Australia (mirror.co.uk):

In reflecting on the past year, we might not want to admit it, but our world got scarier, far less peaceful in 2017. Conflicts between countries (including ours) escalated. The leader of our country – I won’t even go there! I’ll just say that it feels like our beautiful country – and world – seems more dangerous, more judgmental, and severely unsettled.

We all suffer from our own demons – be it weight issues, depression, family woes, the list goes on and on. Then, we live amongst the demons of the cities or ‘burbs we live in, the countries we live in, and the evil in our world.

But, we have the ability, going forward into 2018, to make a change. Even in this vast world, our thoughts, beliefs, and actions, as individuals, can change this unnerving shift in a positive direction.

In 2018, I have hopes for not just myself and my family, but the entire U.S. and our world. While I understand we can’t eradicate all of the evil in this world, we can radiate positivity and change for the better, love for our fellow humans, and a forward movement toward betterment, even as individuals.

I want to say a big Thank You for all of the support and love in 2017! Let’s make 2018 a better year, a year in which our world becomes at least one step closer to peaceful. A year in which we love and support each other even more.

I welcome 2018, and have high hopes for it. May we all rise together, because, really, that’s the only way things are going to get better.

Let the countdown begin!