As we stand on the cusp of 2012, we have two ways we can approach the new year: whining or winning our way into it.
We can whine that the wrong party was elected to run the province, the wrong people were elected to run the city, the regional district, etc. Or we can accept that which is so, and allow new politicians the breathing space to learn the job while holding them accountable.
We can do that critically, which won’t solve anything, or constructively, which could promote moving forward.
We could lament the financial woes that have befallen Catalyst Paper, taking a “woe is us” attitude if they are forced to default on bank payments; or be confident that the company will work out its cash flow situation, giving our new council sufficient time to figure out how to rely less on industrial taxes and more on economic diversity.
We could continue to complain about the garbage trucks that have already been purchased, or we can learn to use the new cans properly, recycle more and move on.
We could view some of the ideas people have for the city to succeed and say ‘those dreams are too big for Port Alberni’, or we could say, ‘wow, we never thought of that’ and ‘how can we make this work to our best advantage?’
We could pine for the days that used to be—that we will never be able to reclaim—or we could enthuse about what lies ahead, and how we can best take advantage of it.
We could mire ourselves in woe, or leap forward and exclaim, “Whoa!” as we ride a propitious tide into the black (OK, that’s a little too optimistic even for us. But you get the drift). Happy New Year, everyone.