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The last days of 2020

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Twinkling with Ninfa R. Leonardia

Two more days to go before we bid 2020 goodbye. How do you rate this year?Do it without counting the coronavirus invasion. I think no one can say it was a wonderful year without blinking. If you can do that, then you must be a descendant of Pollyanna, the story book “Glad Girl”. No matter what happened in her life, she always found something in it to be glad about. I suppose it will be too much to ask of us in this generation to imitate her. If you watch more closely, you might even find that there are more of her opposites around us these days.

***

But we are entering a new year, and perhaps we can turn a new page in the books of our lives. Maybe we don’t have to be hypocritical and claim to be glad while gritting our teeth in anger or disappointment, and look for the good side instead of losing our temper and raising our blood pressures. I am not saying that we follow the motto of that guy whose response to setbacks or bad treatment was “Don’t get mad, get even”. But that is neither Christian nor charitable. But I am not also advising you to be too good and just “Turn the other cheek” when you get slapped!

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Would the DAILY STAR have the guts of the New York Times whose headline the other day was “MR. PRESIDENT STOP THIS INSANITY”? It was, of course, referring to the reactions and actions of their President Donald Trump who seems to be moving heaven and earth to nullify the results of their election where he was beaten by Jose Biden, who will assume office on January 6. Well, Trump had his turn in the White House, but, apparently American voters did not think much of whatever he may claim to be his accomplishments, and therefore picked someone else!

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It took a woman, a former first lady, who could have won the post herself to sum it all up by saying he does not want to lose the job he hasn’t even been doing. Well, maybe the perks of the office were what he regrets missing the post. By the way I bet that if Hillary Clinton herself had decided to contest him, she could have made it. As it is, Trump was not killed by COVID, but his response to how it hit his people was what did him in.

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When, oh when, are those vaccines coming to our country? I know our people are desperately hoping for our Health Department to acquire whichever one is available for us, but what I have heard is that we are about to get 20 million doses soon! Only 20 million for a population of more than five times that? And who will be the privileged ones to be able to avail of it? The number of doses expected is not even enough for one-fifth of our people.

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I wonder, though, why the United States, with all its advances in science, medicine and so forth, is one of the worst-hit by this virus. Me, I suspect it is because a lot of its people are not very observant of warnings about how to keep safe. Note that even during holidays when they are warned against traveling, they still go out of their cities and towns to go to vacation spots or other states. Seeing them on TV lining up at the airports for their trips to other countries or states makes me wonder how reckless they could be.

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Me, I wouldn’t travel by plane these days even if you give me a free ride. I mean it. Think of being seated in that enclosed area, and flying for hours, with the same people, no matter what distancing you may observe, but you still breathe the same air within, even if you have masks on. And, by the way, can you stand being masked for hour upon hour without feeling suffocated? But I guess those who dare to travel have important reasons for doing so, and not merely for pleasure.

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Let us spend the final days of the year 2020 in prayer that the coming one will be more peaceful, free of health problems and marked by goodwill among all countries who may have learned lessons in cooperation and unity because of the terrible pandemic that has cost mankind a lot of lives. And while we pray for our safety, let us also be thankful for the graces that we had been granted during the year that is passing away, and not only for a Happy New Year, but a blessed and peaceful one, too!*

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