Music Monday: God I Hope This Year is Better Than the Last by SYML

At first, I thought the name of the artist was an acronym. Further research showed it’s the name used by Brian Fennel and pronounced “sim-Muhl,” the Welsh word for simple. I heard it in 2021, hoping that year would be better, then hoped for 2022 to be better, and now the song fits 2022 for me. It’s about hope, winter, and looking ahead.

I don’t go back to campus until Tuesday. The year already starts with something different; the woman who walked out once announced her retirement three weeks before Christmas break. “It’s true,” she said. “You know when it’s time to go.” That time was last year, but better late than never. People tell me it’s too soon to think about retirement, but this situation taught me to think not only about retirement but know when to move on, not stay and make other people miserable. It’s not worth the extra pension money. I already told a friend that my retirement job will be at a movie theatre.

I made that declaration while waiting for Avatar: The Way of the Water to start. I remembered vital plot points with the first one and left my expectations low for this second one. I saw some improvement in the plot and character. The world-building was excellent, especially among the aquatic Navi, who looked modelled after the Maori. (No surprise as Cliff Curtis played their leader. He’s an actor I enjoy watching in a variety of roles.) It was an excellent way to close out the New Year and get me out of the house.

I had an on-the-spot question about New Years’ Resolutions and drew a blank. I have some ideas, but mostly strategizing to deal with more people at the gym in January. It comes down to two things:

1. Write more
2. Dance more

Write more blog posts here and in my journal to get the feelings down somewhere rather than circling my head. Dance more means attending those dance parties at the Park Theatre, especially the ABBA-themed ones. The gym has Zumba classes, of course, but it also has a Bodyjam class with hip-hop moves; I sometimes nail it, but I work up a sweat to do it. While I love hitting the punching bag and continue to do so, I know variety keeps my fitness going strong. Whether it’s Zumba or Bodyjam, it’s about putting one foot in front of the other, a definite metaphor for the upcoming year.

I get tired around this time
I blame it on the cold daylight
Bring your arms around me fast
Warm my bones and fill my glass
God, I hope this year’s better than…
The last

SYML, “God I Hope this Year Is Better Than The Last”