I’ve cussed out the old year as we’ve ushered new years in, but the new year turned out to be just as bad – or maybe even worse – than the previous year. I’ve tried to simply welcome the new year, thinking that would get me on Father Time’s good side. But that didn’t work, either.
So this time around, I’m just going to say I wish you a happy New Year. I hope your job is enjoyable and stable, and I hope you have enough vacation time to get out for some late-season waterfowl hunts, then have plenty left over for a long elk hunt in the fall. And in between, I hope you get plenty of time to wet a line on the river or the lake, whichever is your preference.
I hope you get plenty of time to practice with your rifle, shotgun and bow, and that you get better every time you venture out to the range. And when you’re done shooting for the day, I hope cleaning those firearms is quick and easy.
I hope the crazy prices on trucks and four-wheel-drives comes down to something resembling reasonable, so if you are looking for a new ride to get you into the mountains, you’ll be able to do it without selling a kidney. And I hope the fuel prices come down, too, so that you’ll actually be able to put some gas or diesel in that ride without selling the other kidney.
As we embark on this new year, there are a lot of people still hurting. Times have been tough for the last couple of years. If you see someone struggling, give them a helping hand. Instead of arguing over everything, seek to understand the other side of the issue, even if you don’t agree with it, and try to find some common ground. Let’s all resolve to make 2022 the year we help our neighbors and work together to find solutions.
And let’s make it the year we all fill all of our big game tags, while we’re at it.
