Letter from New York Positano News Amalfi and Sorrento newspaper
January 3, 2010 - It’s freezing here in New York. True winter has finally arrived and with it, a couple of snowstorms. But, like many things in New York, the joyful white carpet of snow that blanketed the city didn’t last long. It quickly turned to gray slush, then disappeared completely. Now, it’s just cold with no scenic mitigating factors. Still, the streets are full of people, rushing about with hats pulled down low over their heads and scarves wrapped around their faces. And thousands of people huddled together in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, enduring an intermittent freezing rain, to watch the ball drop on a new decade.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t believe it. It seems only a short while ago we were worried about the Y2K phenomenon wiping out all the data on all the computers in the world. How long ago could the tragedy of 9/11 have occurred when it’s still so vivid in my mind? But, of course, time is relative and while the years seemed to flit by for me, life has steadily plodded on, bringing changes both large and small. Our “baby” has graduated from college. Another daughter has married, had a son of her own – and divorced. A parent has died, and another is getting lost in the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. Our son is also now a father, and a homeowner as well. All within the span of a decade – and I don’t really look that much older… do I?
And what of the world? People made fortunes, then lost it all, some because of unscrupulous financial gurus who billed themselves as prophets but turned out to be profiteers; others because of their own willful blindness and greed. Unfortunately, more wars have been started than ended. After eight years, a new U.S. president has given rise to both hope and disappointment, and it probably won’t be until well into the next decade that we can make an accurate assessment of which will prevail. In the past ten years, our cell phones have become smaller and smarter, our computers faster, our technology more advanced. None of which could prevent a lone fanatic from loading up his underwear with explosives and trying to blow up a plane in mid-air, resulting in ten hour delays at the airport for even a one hour flight. As the French say (although I’m not sure how they spell it), “Tout ca change, tout c’est la meme chose.”
Yet, even if it’s true that the more things change, the more they remain the same, ten years make a difference. I’m thinking about it on a personal level because the television show that I write, “As The World Turns,” has been cancelled after fifty-four years on the air. I’m getting letters from grieving fans who began watching the daily drama on their mothers’ knees and are now sharing it with children of their own. But even though it means I’ll be out of work, it makes sense to me. The world has turned, and we must turn with it. In 2000, I was a working mother, struggling to divide my time and attention between family and profession. By the end of 2010, my focus, will have entirely changed, not because of any choice I’ve deliberately made, but simply because time has moved on. Nothing is exactly as it was, nor will it be again. Ultimately, I suppose that’s a good thing. It gives us leave at any point in our lives to determine that every day can, indeed, be a new adventure. I’m definitely ready for “twenty-ten”. I hope you are, too.
Happy New Year to all, and may the next decade be filled with peace, prosperity, health and joy for everyone.
Leah Laiman
Positano News, Amalfi and Sorrento online newspaper
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