It’s a Saturday morning, and maybe we’re just feeling nostalgic. This morning, we came across a picture on Facebook of Nintendo cereal, and it made us feel all verklempt inside.
Remember this stuff? We can’t really say it tasted great, but we certainly can say it was fun. For some reason, I remember not really enjoying the cereal as a kid, but I absolutely loved the box. To be honest, I would have much preferred Mr. T, E.T., or Batman cereal, but Nintendo cereal had its charm. While eating breakfast, you could stare at the box and pretend you were playing Nintendo—it was a whole vibe.
Seeing this box now almost makes me want to turn on the TV, watch Saturday morning cartoons, and revisit classics like Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
The Nintendo cereal was a marketing hit in the late 1980s, capitalizing on the booming popularity of the Nintendo Entertainment System. It came in a unique two-flavor box: one side featuring “Super Mario Bros.” cereal and the other “The Legend of Zelda.”
It was a novelty —it wasn’t just cereal; it was an extension of their favorite video games and with that commercial lots of kids with imaginations were looking from an escape from their breakfast table reality. The bright packaging and tie-ins with beloved Nintendo characters made it a must-have for fans, even if the taste didn’t live up to the hype.
But these are just fleeting memories, my friends, fleeting memories. And you know what? The more I think about it, the less tasty the cereal becomes in my mind. It wasn’t about the flavor; it was about the moment. Kids these days just won’t ever feel that.
As if we needed one more reminder of the whirlwind that was 2024, here’s another reflection to add to the mix.
New Year’s has a way of stirring thoughts about the generations that have come and gone—their visions of the present, their reflections on the past, and their dreams for the future. It’s incredible to think that we are now 100 years removed from New Year’s 1925.
A few people born in that year or earlier are still with us, but as time marches on, they too will fade away. Soon, there will be no one left who experienced the world as it was a century ago. Unless groundbreaking advances in life-saving technology emerge, the reality is that 100 years from now, those living then likely won’t know we existed, and we will no longer be here.
DUALITY OF TIME
This duality—the fleeting nature of our existence and the enduring march of time—is both the nostalgia and joy of New Year’s. It reminds us that life continues, that humanity perseveres despite the challenges and calamities the planet throws our way. Yet, that same nostalgia carries a bittersweet feeling. The darkness of memory lingers in our hearts, and while it can be a source of warmth, it can also lead to melancholy. We’ve all had moments where nostalgia pulls us into sadness, sometimes even depression.
But that’s the magic of midnight. At 12AM, nostalgia steps aside to make room for the promise of something new. Whether you celebrate by kissing a loved one, hugging friends and family, or standing quietly under the night sky, the moment is yours to own. Midnight wipes the slate clean like a Catholic Church confession.
RESOLVE TO RESOLVE
Resolutions may be famously short-lived, but why not aim to keep a few this year longer than the normal time frame? Pause and consider that the feelings you have now—the hope, the uncertainty, the optimism—aren’t so different from those felt by people ringing in 1925. As their clocks struck midnight, they celebrated with the same belief in the possibility of brighter days ahead. History has since painted the realities of their time, but in that moment, they, too, embraced hope.
As we step into 2025, let’s hold onto that same belief. We will persevere as we always do. And when the clock strikes midnight next December, we’ll likely find ourselves saying, “Thank God 2024 is over,” just as we will for 2025 and the years that follow. Because that’s what we do as human beings. We endure. We hope. And we keep moving forward, whether it’s 1925, 2025, or 3025.
Here’s to embracing the passage of time, to holding onto hope, and to welcoming the future with open arms.
Firm believers of the Schumann Resonance claim it directly impacts human well-being, including mental health, emotional balance, and even physical sensations.
Scientifically, the Schumann Resonance refers to the natural electromagnetic frequencies of the Earth, primarily at 7.83 Hz, which are generated by lightning discharges and resonate within the ionosphere.
While some studies suggest potential links between these frequencies and human brainwaves, there is currently limited empirical evidence to conclusively prove that fluctuations in the Schumann Resonance have significant effects on human health or behavior.
In the meantime, this fine Saturday night. We are all blessed with either anxiety from the resonance itself, or because we know those Christmas bills are coming due in just a few days.
The Annual Charlie Brown Ritual: Reflecting on Tradition and Change..
Every year, many of us partake in the timeless ritual of watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. That animated classic, with its melancholy tone, manages to evoke a sense of nostalgia that feels almost bittersweet.
For decades, people have wondered: what makes this special so enduring? After all, Charlie Brown is often consumed by negativity, struggling to find joy in the Christmas season. It takes Linus dropping his security blanket and delivering a heartfelt monologue about the true meaning of Christmas to momentarily lift Charlie’s spirits. By the end, he’s singing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing with everyone else—but is that truly the resolution?
At its surface, it’s the story of a clumsy kid who’s constantly called a “blockhead” by the very people who are supposed to be his friends. Yet there’s something deeper at play—something that continues to resonate year after year.
x x x
As we grow older, life inevitably changes. Some of you reading this have already felt the sting of those changes: the loss of parents, family members, or friends who were central to your celebrations. Others might not yet have experienced these shifts but will in time.
What often remains constant is the commercialization of Christmas. It taps into our nostalgia, using those warm, familiar memories to encourage us to buy, create, and relive moments that we hope will endure. Coke mastered it..
Yet even commercialization can’t prevent the inevitable: the traditions we hold dear often fade, morph, or disappear altogether. For good sometimes.
For me, A Charlie Brown Christmas endures because it reflects this truth. While the special itself remains unchanged, the way we experience it shifts. The memories it evokes, the people we watch it with, and the traditions surrounding it all evolve.
The reality is, many of the things we cherish about Christmas are fleeting. Traditions we upheld years ago may no longer be possible. Perhaps your family dinner has grown smaller, or the specific dishes you once enjoyed have been replaced. Maybe those once-sacred outings—like Christmas bowling or movie nights—are no longer feasible because those businesses decided not to be open or have shut down altogether..
And then there are the deeply personal losses: parents who once cleaned up the wrapping paper, friends and relatives who were staples of your holiday gatherings but are no longer around. These changes can leave us feeling desolate.. longing for a past that can’t be reclaimed no matter what actions we take.
Even large, tight-knit families that manage to maintain traditions will eventually face change, because change is inevitable. And that inevitability is at the heart of Charlie Brown’s melancholy.
Charlie Brown’s struggle isn’t just about the commercialism of Christmas. It’s about his inability to accept change. He’s searching for something constant, a tradition untouched by time. But as life shifts and evolves, he feels that the magic of the season is slipping away.
The friends who call him a blockhead haven’t yet experienced the losses that he feels so deeply. But one day, they will. Change will touch their lives, too, and they’ll find themselves longing for something they can no longer have.
So, this Christmas, enjoy what you have. Embrace the traditions you partake in this year, knowing that they may not endure. Families come and go. Friends come and go. Traditions come and go. But the moments you create right now are real, and they matter.
This is advice I’m trying to take myself. With both my parents gone and the weight of traumatic events over the past five years, my traditions have changed dramatically. It’s challenging to create new ones for my child while my mind drifts back to the past.
But if Charlie Brown could find joy, even briefly, so can we. Live in the moment. That’s where the magic of Christmas truly lies.
There is something about hot midsummer nights and fires–it complements that humid air.. it almost cools the aura around you when you swelter in the orange glow..
Tonight, July 5 2024, the fire was enjoyed by Stormy … and the sounds of Richard Syrett reruns of Coast to Coast AM made it even more perfect..
Enjoy these nights. The wonders of autumn and winter come soon. Days are already shortening..
Stay by that fire. Stay warm even when the heat goes away.
Compare your life today to what it was 5 years ago, compare it to 10 years ago. This is not political. No “Reagan are you better off four years ago” stuff. Just … reality.
Now, if you’re really young, there may not be much to compare to. Your memories just sort of blend together in a big bowl of childhood.. but if you’re older, if you have a recollection of things as they once wore in the not too distant past.
You will realize that things today are not the way they should be .. The documentary about Nickelodeon near about a month ago has come and gone. Since that time, everything seemingly has moved on the scandal. That should have been one that rocked an entire industry. Just poofed away.
The war in Russia and Ukraine has killed potentially hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The media has told us civilians have been dying along the way as well .. The Israel Gaza conflict has claimed the life of at least 30000 civilians, including children, but yet we just continue to move on.
College campuses are being rocked by protest, but it’s not just process, but instead now violent outrage. But the media just tells us keep plugging away. This is life. They are graduating anyway, apparently.
Everyone says the economy’s doing fantastic, but you’re broke.
Prices that you pay now are much higher than they’ve ever been before. Forget this is normal.
The new normal as it would be. And I’m not sure if it was COVID. Some will say this is the ramifications of free money giveaways during the virus outbreak.
With inflation topping and toppling us, but something seems to be wrong. Something seems to be weird and everyone seems to be on edge. Things don’t feel right. You all know you can sense it. You all know you can feel it, but yet we’re told this is just how things are guess what? I don’t think so.
But this very real and intense moment on ABC news captures it all: The excitement.. the animals reacting.. the silence. the reverence.. the darkness.. The deep seated ancestral fear of darkness.. And the return of the light:
“It is really, truly breathtaking here in Burlington, Vermont.” @ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis were in Burlington, Vermont, as the #EclipseAcrossAmerica made its way across the country. They witnessed the solar eclipse, and the sun’s diamond ring after totality ended. @ABC News Live @Good Morning America @National Geographic
I can personally attest to the severity of this round.. I had COVID last in 2021 during the final days of the DELTA wave.. that was cruel but largely short-lived compared to this over-extended Pirola version.
Those around me who also experienced it lost taste similar to DELTA, I did not.. Instead it was a wave of strange muscle aches, a sealed-shut nose for about 10 minutes (odd, right?) an
d a strangely active heart. The increase of the heart rate was noticeable and concerning.. any slight movement, even during sleep, increased beats per minute and caused issues.
Now after at least a week of symptoms some things appear to be going a little smoother and some normalcy is returning.
And yes.. it appears both vaccinated and non vaccinated are having some similar conditions *(despite folks still maintinaing that overall symptoms will decrease with the vaccine, boosters, and Paxlovid) In my case I did not take Paxlovid, and also avoided any painkillers.
Increased regular vitamins in triple, however, and quadrupled water intake.
Be safe. Do what’s smart.
This spread of this variant is concerning.
Good thing the CDC completely threw the towel in on it ..
