My Crystal Ball

By Sondra Forsyth

A long time ago, when I was ending one chapter of my life and heading in a new direction, a friend gave me a little crystal ball with a sweet note saying he hoped my future would be bright.

That crystal ball sits on my desk to this day. I superstitiously gaze into it every New Year’s Eve while I wonder about the year to come.

Currently, I’m very happy with my job, my family, and my friends as well as with memories of dreams and goals that have already been realized in my life. I don’t want to change anything in 2019. Even so, the idea of adding to my life in an as yet unanticipated way sends little tingles of excitement through me. Once again, I will look into my crystal ball on New Year’s Eve.

To be honest, I never see anything in my mind’s eye when I do that. Yet on several occasions wonderful surprises have come to pass after one year ended and a new one began. That could happen again!

I purposely refrain from harboring specific dreams, although I did that when I was younger. Now I’d rather expect the unexpected. Oh, of course I know that unpleasant possibilities are out there. I’ve had my share of difficult situations just like everybody else. Even so, the point of looking into my crystal ball is to stay positive about what the future may bring. Why court negative possibilities with a negative attitude?

I live in New York City where there are many options for celebrating New Year’s Eve. I don’t always venture out into the frigid night air, however. Often I choose to stay in my cozy apartment after talking with my far-flung family on the phone and watch the Central Park fireworks light up the sky outside my window at midnight while I gaze into my crystal ball. That’s my plan for this year. The following day, I’ll probably have dinner with friends, and then I’ll get back to the work I love on January 2nd even as I think about what good turns of events might be in store for me and my loved ones in 2019 that I couldn’t even imagine.

And what if 2019 brings not-so-good events? I’ll deal with them if I must. But I won’t dwell on that potential scenario. My crystal ball in all about looking forward in the best sense of that phrase.

Happy New Year!