PeaceBang

A Moment of Zen in Time Squares, New Year’s Eve, 2007

January 3, 2008 on 11:18 am | In Cultural Commentary, Just Funny |

You know the scene. You’ve either been there or watched it on television, snuggled cozily in bed or on the couch and thanking your lucky stars that you’re not stuck in that claustrophobia-inducing bacchanalia.

So this year I’m snuggled cozily in with a pal and we’re watching the madness right before the big disco ball drops and chuckling while the frantic newsgal sticks a microphone into various inebriated faces and screams “WHAT’S YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION THIS YEAR?”

She’s getting the usual “I’M GONNA LOSE TWENNY POUNDS!” “I’M GONNA GET BETTER GRADES!” “I’M GONNA USE MY CREDIT CARD LESS!” and this sort of thing. And then, because I’m nodding off, I miss it. My pal starts cracking up and I rouse myself and say, “What? What? What did I miss?” All I had noticed through my sleepy haze was a woman with a comically huge, lit-up 2008 tiara on her head and a Brooklyn accent so thick you could serve it on bread with mustard. “What did she say?” And as soon as he can stop laughing his head off, my friend gasps out, “TAKE PROPER TIME TO BE WITH YOURSELF!” which comes out like “TAKE PROPPAH TOIME TA BE WITH YAHSELF!”

This pronouncement is followed with a wild, “GO TEAM” bout of cheering and jumping up and down tooting horns, and right there we have the perfect mash-up of mindless New Year’s Eve revelry and the wisdom of ancients.

So whoever you are, New York lady, my friend and I just want to say we totally love you and you have given us the best, most genuine first great laugh of the new year.