Happy New Year! As the song says, it's been a long December but there's reason to believe that this year will be better than the last.
Taken as a whole, 2020 has not been without its joys. The publication of Vampires of Michigan and the subsequent writing of Long Live Death and its success was not something I contemplated a year ago. The COVID lockdown has put our family under great strain, but we also celebrated the birth of our first grandchild, who has been a source of unceasing wonderment and happiness.
In many ways, how we approach life determines how we perceive it. What makes a "very good" year versus a bad one? Folks used to advise people to "count their blessings" and I think it's good advice – though not something sad people want to hear.
That's my other observation this year, something I'd noted before but I've now seen it spread on a far wider basis: misery loves company. Online places I used to visit have become so unrelentingly negative that I can't even stomach them. If you bring in good cheer, they boo you right off the network.
I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions but I am going to enhance my efforts this winter to push aside complaints and try to hold onto moments of joy that might otherwise have been lost.
Chateau Lloyd 
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