Happy New Year’s Eve!

Last week, I was watching a news channel and they highlighted the preparation taking place in Times Square for the dropping of the crystal ball later today. It is truly a magnificent creation. Patch.com describes it this way:

The 2020 Waterford Crystal sphere set to drop on the last midnight of 2019 arrived in Times Square Friday morning.

The 12-foot-wide ball is covered with 2,688 crystals illuminated by 32,256 LED lights and is topped by a seven-foot-tall “2020,” which arrived in the city earlier this month.

The whole thing weighs in at 11,875 pounds, roughly the weight of an African elephant or a killer whale.

https://patch.com/new-york/new-york-city/new-years-ball-arrives-times-square

Several years ago, Dave and I were traveling in China. We asked our tour guide if he wanted to come to the USA. He said, “Oh yes!” in a boyish, childlike way. It humored me. When asked what he hoped to see, he replied, “Las Vegas, someone with a southern accent and the ball dropping in Times Square.” Interesting combination of interests, for sure.

I gave his interests some thought. I have already seen Las Vegas, I know lots of people with southern accents, but I had never watched the ball drop in Times Square. I decided that year I would watch the celebrated event.

New Year’s Eve rolled around and I sat myself in front of the TV to watch the festivities in Times Square. The countdown began to usher in the new year and the ball started to drop.

Well, drop is not the right word! It slowly and in a controlled manner, moved downward in the first moments of the new year. Drop is a good word for what happens when I fumble my phone and I drop it on the ground. Or when I drop a glass off the counter. Both of those events reward me with a clatter and sometimes a shatter. The ball does not drop from its suspended place. I was disappointed.

How has life this past year been unexpected to you? You expected one outcome and reality was very different? How will you adjust your thinking to accomodate these differences?