I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas. It is hard to believe Christmas has come and gone by the time you read this.  

I can’t wait for 2021. How can it be worse than this year?

Next year I look forward to the taming of a pandemic, ridding our land of killer hornets, getting together with friends and going to the store without worrying about catching Covid. I realize that may take a while, but it will be a relief when it does happen.

I make New Year’s resolutions. Usually I keep them for about 12 hours, sometimes longer.

This year I hope to keep them longer… at least a month. I will share some with you:

I will shop locally more than I did in 2020. With new restaurants opening, and new specialty stores in town, it will be fun shopping in the downtown area again.

I will complain less about things I can’t control. “Let it go” will be my motto.

I will ride my bike more. As I get older, it becomes harder to accumulate the miles I would like to, but former Rochelle resident Mike Pence (high school teacher, not the soon to be ex vice president) rode more than 1,000 miles this summer. He has inspired me.

I will finish the book I have been writing for eight years… but that was my resolution last year. And the year before. And the year before. Someday, it will happen.

I will try to be less sarcastic.

I would say lose weight, but that will never happen. Or eat less junk food, not bite my nails, stop cursing… but resolutions should be something that you can actually accomplish, right?

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Some predictions for the upcoming year: The Cubs and White Sox will meet in a World Series.

Games will be played in near blizzard conditions on fields that have been ravaged by locusts.

Illinois lawmakers will realize that they work for the citizens of the state. They will cooperate on a budget, make rational decisions on state spending cuts, develop a nonpartisan redistricting plan and set term limits for themselves.

Skipping will become an Olympic sport dominated by Liechtenstein.

If any of these come true, you read it here first. Happy New Year.

Terry Dickow can be contacted at terrydickow@gmail.com.