Happy New Year from Miss Ginger Grant!

Before her balls drop and she forgets all of her acquaintances, Miss Ginger wanted to take a minute to say Happy New Year to all the GingerSnaps out there who have made her what she is today: an overweight, aging sometimes drag queen with a drinking problem and a bad back!  


But really, the new year is a great time to reflect on the things we like about our lives, and the things we don't, and to determine which ones we are going to do something about!  I'm not talking resolutions: those are just begging to be broken!  She really means general ideas and practices that might change more than just one person's dress size!


So, putting it out there for the universe, here are Miss Ginger's "great ideas" for 2010:


1. Wouldn't it be great if we all just believed what we want to believe, and stop worrying about what others believe?  Miss Ginger, for one, will no longer vacillate on the whole Jeebus thing: she doesn't believe it and she won't pretend! And honestly, what she does believe is really nobody else's business but her own! Miss Ginger promises she will not recruit your children to become drag queens if you stop recruiting people to become christians! 


2. Wouldn't it be great if everyone were nicer?  If the whole world would SLOW DOWN and not always be in such a rush, we'd have way more time to be nice to people!  Even small gestures, like slowing down on the freeway to let a car in front of you instead of hitting the gas so they have to fall in behind! Miss Ginger is going to look for opportunities to perform such "random acts of kindness" every day!


3. Wouldn't it be great if we could resolve homelessness?  Boy Ginger spends a lot of time downtown in the office this time of year, and the blight of  homelessness weighs heavy on Miss Ginger's mind! She doesn't know the answer, and she needs to take on another cause like she needs another bra in her drawer, but she intends to spend some time this year exploring the problem and finding out what can be done to address the issue in her neighborhood!


4. Wouldn't it be great if everyone took responsibility for their own destiny, instead of looking to governments, institutions, and other sources for "relief"?  Miss Ginger is a woman of charity, but she believes charity should give a "leg up" rather than a "hand out"!  Let's stop bailing out industries, companies, and countries and focus our efforts on taking care of people who can't care for themselves!  Even in a tough economy, most people should be able to find a way to participate in some way! Rather than feeling sorry for ourselves about job loss, company failures, changes in ability, etc, let's regroup, figure out what we need to change to go forward, and get back on the horse- ANY horse! 


In closing, here's a little New Year's Toast:

Here's to the year that's ended, 

and  to the one that harkens-

let's put ideas in motion

before our outlook darkens!

Let' see that things get brighter

and ditch those that are daft-

and make sure life gets lighter

when Pailin gets the shaft!

Happy New Year, dear Ginger Snaps!  Hope I get to meet you all in 2011!!