America - The Party Continues

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, but think: there's still 2 days left until Monday, so continue to be of good cheer. Just don't get carried away.

In certain ways, we have become a bit Puritanical in recent years. Warning after warning is released by the Medical professionals warning of the dire consequences of eating this and drinking that. The White House, under the guidance of Michelle Obama, seconded those warnings and began touting health as the main issue facing the Nation.

Nonsense. We live longer now than ever, and, except for some aches and pains, live a higher quality life in our later years than royalty did a couple of hundred years ago. Guess what? The folks of my age and our parents are those people who are now old and we never paid a lot of attention to health warnings. We ate red meat, eggs. pastries, rich cheeses, and butter. We drank countless gallons of coffee. At the Holidays, we guzzled egg nog and nibbled fudge. Summer holidays meant meats cooked on grills, butter drenched corn on the cob and mayonnaise laden potato salad, and rich ice creams. And we are still here.

We drank alcohol; hell, we got down right drunk; a lot. We smoked, substances both legal and illegal and we are still here.

Do I have aches and pains? Yep, but they are all juts from the wear and tear of working too hard. Other than that, I have not had a cold in about three years and have more mental energy than most teenagers I see.

Now, I know that it is easy to get carried away. Lord knows I did quite frequently, and when you do, you will pay the Devil's price. Hangovers, upset stomachs, and a post-holiday expansion of your waistline are not fun, but, you get over them. Accident, because you were stupid enough to drive when you are loaded, are not easy to get over and I am sure you don't want to spend time in jail and the courtroom for being caught driving drunk.

So, have fun, let loose a little, and don't worry too much if you over do it a little, but remember, the key word there is little, And, always, if you intend to have more than 1 or 2 drinks, park the car. Give someone else your keys. Take a cab. Sleep over on a sofa. Do not drive. Hangovers and bulging tummies  are inconveniences. Jail cells, courtrooms, hospitals and morgues are tragedies.