‘Time and Tide Wait for No Man’

Each year around this time, after we clean up the mountains of wrapping paper and begin the tedious task of disassembling the tree, we carefully put away the ornaments, decorations and symbols of the Christmas holiday. Once we accomplish most of that, many of us collapse for a short time on the couch or in a recliner and think about the last twelve months we just put behind us. 

A good friend of mine about twenty years my senior once told me to be prepared, for as I grew older, time would pass by more quickly. Later in life I was amazed at how accurate that prediction would become. 

There are scientific studies that show us this, but since I was never very good at physics, I just attributed it to how much wiser my older friend was than me. He was right about many things that we discussed on some of our trips, as were our parents, about many of the things that they tried to discuss with us. 

Back then I simply thought that my parents were just a little slower than me, and figured as time progressed, they would eventually catch up to me. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Eventually, I figured out that they had already made many of the mistakes that I would make. They had learned from their mistakes, as I eventually would. I would give anything to have one or both of my parents here to admit this to them. But alas, I guess that’s not possible right now, so I will have to wait to have that conversation with them when one day we are together again. 

This last year was not as rough as 2020, but it did have its challenges, as we all know. We are still not out of the woods when it comes to COVID-19 and the continually evolving strains of that terrible malady. I, for one, hope that the “talking heads” who continually bombard us with one theory after another will take the time to get their pronouncements right, rather than rush to have something for the next hourly news cycle.

The American people are pretty strong, and for the most part, all they want is the truth. Nothing more, nothing less. It is no wonder they are confused, and that confusion will morph into discontent and rage if they find out that they were being misled or lied to.

As we wind down 2021, we should take some time to reflect on the positive accomplishments within our community. Many of them are directly attributed to the dedication and hard work of our citizen volunteers; Men and women who step up and do the heavy lifting and contribute so much to make this a great community.

The wonderful folks at Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, and its sister organization the Mobile Food Pantry, quietly go about helping to bridge the need here in the Greater Marco and East Naples area. In 2021, these areas experienced the continuing need for help.

Over the Christmas holiday, the Joy of Giving brightened the season for so many families in our area, and served as a much-needed safety net for their benefit.

In November, we saw the community come together to fundraise for research of a rare disease called Kleefstra Syndrome. Bicyclists raised $34,000 for that purpose by entering the Tour De Taverns annual event.

We also saw the decade old dream of the Marco Island Academy become a reality, thanks to the hard work and dedication of parents, residents and benefactors who identified a need. Although some of the work continues, the building itself opened its doors to students for the 2021-2022 academic year.

The volunteers from the Christmas Island Style Committee once again returned to a normal schedule of events to the delight of the community. Energetic elves enthusiastically lit up the streets and waterways with the annual parades, the festive Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration and an aerial delivery of Santa and Mrs. Claus. 

These are just illustrations of the positive nature of our citizenry, proving once again what a vibrant and committed community we are, while demonstrating our resolve to turn ideas into action and reality.

We are about to close the book on 2021 and open another as we enter 2022. The next year will have its own set of challenges, some more daunting as in previous years. However, there is nothing we can’t overcome if we worry less about the word “I” and concentrate on the word “we,” while we move forward to meet what lies ahead. 

So long 2021, hello 2022.