The next year.

"Never gonna grow up,
Never gonna slow down,
We were shinin' like lighters in the dark,
In the middle of a rock show."

As we move into 2017, it seems like only yesterday we were preparing for Y2K; now all these years later, we are preparing for the unknown one more time---I have no idea what's instore for the coming year, but I sure hope it lives up to the expectations of what's been laid out by politicians, investors, and everyone who has an opinion. (Which seems to be "everyone.")

Only a few months ago, I want to say many people thought they saw the future staring them in the face. Many, if not most, polls were telling us we would be experiencing something we had never had in the history of the United States. As it turned out, they were "sort of right" with a businessman without any political experience winning the highest office in the land. If you were not surprised by the outcome, would you please provide a stock pick you have been considering.

What happened, whether you support it or not, happened. We are moving forward and time has not stopped---at least so far as I can tell. 

So let's move forward and discuss what would make a fantastic new year. 

If I had a wish list, one that could really come true, I would love to see the following happen: let's cure one form of Cancer. Pick it, doesn't matter, just one for this year and hopefully one for every year after. Can you imagine in our lifetime, we would no longer have to deal with this horrific disease. (Just for fun, can we also add Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to the wish list for 2017?)

My next wish would be to have dinner, breakfast or lunch, with someone who has passed away in my life. My first choice would of course be my parents, but I am open to my mentor who passed away literally days after my first daughter was born, my grandparents, aunt and uncle, I won't be greedy on this wish. Just one hour, maybe two, to catch up and thank them for how they molded me and placed me on a better path.

Another wish, and this is going to sound selfish, I would love to see the Chicago Bulls win the Championship. Okay, this is a true long shot, but I believe I have the two most important wishes above this one. 

Since I don't have any idea what the year will entail, I am going to hope there are many surprises ahead. Some will be great and some "not-so-great." It's call life and you need to be prepared for the cards dealt to you. Hopefully we will all make it to 2018 with as little sadness as possible. 

This past year has been a challenging one in some respects, it's also been very rewarding; I am going place a bet, no not literally, that this year we will be fine. There will be difficult decisions, and many easy ones, I am hoping one out weighs the other. 

The photo above is truly what life is all about. It's the birth of a child, this one is 6-days old, who has no idea where they are, what's going on in this new world they have entered, yet they have so much ahead of them. How cool is that? We are all going to grow in 2017---we always do no matter what the year, I am ready for what's ahead.

Thanks for stopping by.