10 things this boomer would like to see in 2022:

• Respect and admiration for everyone over the age of 80.

 • A ban on humidity over 40 percent.

• A loving home for every stray cat or dog. With treats, an extra bed for when their bones ache, and undivided attention from their human for at least one hour a day.

• Elimination of the cell phone ring tone that sounds like an old office phone. Please.

 •Cheese dip that makes you smarter.

• A headline that reads, “Everyone on the planet is vaccinated and hospital staffs are now working regular shifts.”

 • A cure for dementia.

  • Another headline that states, “Humans understand what they are doing to the planet and start to heal it instead.”

 •Riding in the pace car at the Indianapolis 500. (Hey, I still have a chance.)

 • A renewed appreciation for science, knowledge, reading, investigative journalism, and common sense.

One can dream, right? Novelist, essayist, environmentalist, farmer and really smart guy Wendell Berry says if we could each just heal the relationship with our neighbor, just imagine what could be.

Yes, just imagine. John Lennon did. Bishop Desmond Tutu did as well. So did Mother Theresa. Even Homer Simpson had moments of inspiration.

Happy New Year…let’s be kind to each other.

“The teachers are everywhere. What is wanted is a learner.”

Wendell Berry