Monday, January 7, 2013 —
I know this is going to sound clichéd, or at least read as a cliché, but New Year’s didn’t seem the same without Dick Clark.
For about a decade prior to my birth and onward, Dick Clark has been synonymous with New Year’s Eve as the Times Square ball drops, Champagne toasts and lonely people kissing their pet at midnight.
You can probably guess which characteristic I fit into.
I watched the special tribute to Clark that aired Monday night. It is amazing how many acts he introduced to the world. The show just had a mere sampling of the talent he brought forth on “American Bandstand” and music award shows.
We can’t forget his work on game shows and with bloopers and practical jokes. Here comes another cliché, but they don’t make shows like that anymore.
But even without Dick Clark, I still managed to watch the countdown to the New Year. It is still a tradition.
The other tradition comes the next day with all the superstitions.
It is said that what you do on New Year’s Day will set the tone for the year to come. So I didn’t wash, except my hands. Laundry is a no-no, otherwise you’d be cleaning all year. (Unless, of course, you operate one of the area cleaning businesses, then we hope you were open Tuesday.)
I did write and work on a few other things, which hopefully sets up a year full of work, with a few breaks for treasure hunting and maybe that cruise.
I had my good-luck foods of collards and cornbread to keep me headed in a prosperous direction.
The New Year’s baby is a traditional symbol of a new year being born.
It is also told that the first person who enters your home on New Year’s Day will dictate how the year goes. Women are said to be bad luck, but I wouldn’t know about that.
Yet, with all the superstitious and traditions, my mind keeps going back to the New Year’s countdown. New York has the ball drop. Memphis watches as a giant guitar descends. Even Charlotte has First Night.
What about us? What could we do? What could we use as a symbol to ring in the New Year?
Opinion
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B.J. Drye
Discussion
Clark & collards
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