December 31, 1999

Usually, I wait until my birthday to reflect on the last year, but this being that last day of the century, I guess some reflection is in order. I feel a bit sad, like losing a good friend. I've been watching some of the first celebrations of the new millennium with tears in my eyes. We all spent our whole lives living in the 20th century and now we are moving forward to something new. I’ve been thinking about my grandfather who was born in 1899 and the changes that took place in his lifetime. When he was born the telephone, automobile and airplane were just being invented. These things are now taken for granted along with television, radio, cell phones and computers. Today, we move into the next century and the Internet is in the same position as the telephone was in 1899.

I’ve also been thinking about how this has shaped us into who we are. The technology of the 20th century had a flavor that shaped the culture. It spread families out but also kept us in touch. The pace of living has increased so much; I think we tend to forget about the important things because we are managing the basic complexity of living. Today people need cell phones, computers, and PDAs simply to organize themselves. In 1899, big portions of the country were still relatively wild, now almost nothing on the planet is untouched by human management. What we think of as wilderness is as managed as our cities.

In my mind, all the technical progress has come at much expense. We forget to stop and listen to a bird sing or watch a hawk sailing on an updraft. We forget to simply experience the fresh air on that first day that feels like spring. Instead we rush to our cars so we can drive some place in traffic and talk on our cell phones. The 20th century was the death of the simple life. Too often, we simply forget to ask ourselves if we are happy with what we have and who we are. We spend too much time drifting along and forget the important landmarks.

As Julie and I have gone through the process of becoming parents, I’ve spent time thinking about our lives and the times we live in. This truly is an interesting time. I’ve realized our family and friends are the most important things in our life. Our son is going to be lucky because we have a strong family, even if it is spread out across the country. We also realize that in all the rushing and pushing forward, it is important to stop and look around. Listen to the birds singing in the trees; look at the cats and dogs and rabbits we call our pets and recognize them as individuals, the same as we are. Mostly, live our lives as well as we can so on a day like today we can look forward with excitement to the uncertainty and change of the 21st century.

Either way, I’m happy Julie and I are going to have either one of the last babies of the 20th century or the first of the 21st century. I believe he too will live in exciting times, just like my grandfather. Thanks for all of the support this year and Happy New Year!

P.S. We have picked his name. His last initial is ‘O’.