Depending how you look at it, 2020 outdid 2019 in that regard - and 2019 was full of tragedy in Dayton in particular.
Things did not magically get better when the clock struck midnight Friday.
Credit: Lisa Powell
Credit: Lisa Powell
We are still in the middle of a pandemic and people are still suffering physically, emotionally and financially.
Still, I personally was relieved when the New Year rolled in.
There it was: reborn hope.
What was perhaps the most challenging year of my life - for most of us - is in the history book.
Journalists, political hacks and scholars of all variety will spend years trying to dissect what it meant and, frankly, continues to mean.
But there is a reason a baby is the symbol of a new year.
As History.com has it, Baby New Years traces his roots back to ancient Greece. Way back then, an infant in a basket was paraded around to mark the annual rebirth of wine and fertility god Dionysus.
These days, the babe is often depicted in a diaper, top hat and, sometimes, a whimsical sash.
Like all Baby New Year’s, 2020′s started off adorable but quickly faded into Father Time. It is withered away into nothingness now; that is the way.
The vast majority of us are more than fine with that.
No one wants Father Time 2020 showing up during the holidays any more.
I welcome Baby New Year from the top of his ball head to the bottom of his cubby feet.
Changing of the guard means a fresh opportunity for, well, opportunity.
What are your hopes for the Dayton region in 2021? Send responses to arobinson@daytondailynews.com.
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