And LOTS Of Surprises

When I was a kid there was a local television show every Christmas which featured area children sitting on Santa's lap and telling him all they hoped to find under the tree Christmas morning. Kids, no matter the year, the decade, internet, television or radio, they've got at least a few ideas. So, it usually started quickly with items highest on their list, those they could remember easily, then ultimately wound down to the proverbial . . . "and lots of surprises". That's the catch all, the "I want it, even if I don't remember it".

"And lots of surprises". Genius.



As we get older, maybe not a lot changes. We want the good stuff. The surprises, well, we say we want them, but we often find they are not quite as appealing.

Over the last few years, and maybe a bit longer, many Americans have found the surprises have outpaced, outnumbered the good stuff, often been a real challenge to deal with.

I like to pontificate, hop upon my soap box and let it all out. It's both a vent my doctor might appreciate because my blood pressure is not even higher, and a way for me to try to make sense of it all, ensure I'm not out there all alone, screaming at a wall, the only one who thinks as I do. It's been nice to know it's not just the wall, there are others like me.

Yet I've realized, through it all, that unlike those children, I've lost that ability and longing for the surprises. They're not always fun, yet they do keep it interesting. And sometimes, yes, sometimes, they prove we deserved all the nice things we asked for and got.

I still think of America as that shining city on a hill, my friends. But it doesn't stay shiny without the inhabitants cleaning the windows, sweeping the streets, taking pride in and appreciating all it has to offer. Sometimes we are tested, and must prove our worth to inhabit such a fine city.

While I wouldn't take back one word I have personally said over the past few years, in 2011, no matter my view for the outlook of the country on a macro perspective, I will work that much harder to make certain my micro view IS demonstrative of what I believe and want -- what I have often been found preaching about -- both for myself and for the nation at large.

The holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas are well placed before the beginning of a new year. While I take stock of my blessings and all that I need to work on personally, I am also looking to 2011 to do some window cleaning, some street sweeping, maybe even erect a few new buildings dedicated to what I love about this country most, to prove myself a worthy inhabitant.

Shining cities, after all, require upkeep.

Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a surprisingly good 2011, friends and American patriots.