I hope you had a great Christmas and are looking forward to a better year in 2017. As a way to get you started, I will again pass along some of the advice I regularly get from readers and friends.

The first one is from Oprah Winfrey: “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!” Of course, Robert Clark says, “Happy New Year, but it’s not happy; it’s exactly the same as last year except colder.” This was before “climate change” was the norm.

Many of us travel this time of year for one reason or another, so beware that if you look like your picture on your passport or other identification, you probably need the trip. Some of the past election rhetoric did reference the need for good jobs in this country, and at this time of year, we may have the occasional celebratory beer. As a result, we might reflect on a sage observation by Babe Ruth. “Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work, and their dreams would be shattered. Then I think that it must be better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.”

A positive extension of this thought is the fact that when you fall on your face, you are still moving forward.

The insanity is imminent, as the Polar Plunge at The Beach Club is set for this Friday at 1 p.m. sharp. Longtime LMC manager Brian Belmont seems to be taking way too much pleasure in this exercise in masochism. Now there are T-shirts available for $15, so that you can proudly publicize your participation in and/or support of this activity. Yep, BJ, four grandsons and I all have the T-shirts and will be there. It won’t be pretty, but we will be there. A quote from Joshua Marine may speak to the reasons behind the “plunge”: “Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them makes life meaningful.” I’ll tell what is meaningful about this event: The Port Ludlow Fire and Rescue emergency medical staff will also be there, and it isn’t for the chocolate chip cookies.

The great logging controversy of 2015-16 seems to be settled, at least for the time being. Several years ago, it was the mining controversy. Before that it was the WorldMark development controversy. What will be the great controversy of 2017? Yet there are folks here who spend much of their time helping to enrich our community. People like Karen Griffith and her sister, who help folks through end-of-life issues. People like Caleb Summerfelt, who volunteers on the Village Council, the East Jefferson Rotary board and as the coordinator of the Port Ludlow Nextdoor communications. People like Jamie Bima, who volunteers for many organizations throughout the area. And there are many, many others. As we look forward to next year, I am confident it holds the potential for greater things. Not the least of which is the end of my losing streak at the biweekly poker game!

Love a curmudgeon and have a Happy New Year!

(Contact Port Ludlow resident Ned Luce at nedluce@sbcglobal.net.)