A lot of particularly vile stuff happened in 2015. The kind of stuff that makes us question whether humanity is any less barbaric now than in medieval times — I’m looking at you, ISIS. Or if racism is any different than it was 100 years ago — I’m looking at you, overzealous cops. Or if our sense of entitlement may need to be tweaked if it means making regular mass shootings not the norm — I’m looking at you, NRA and supporters.
Still, we can’t let the madness be the focal point of our lives. It’s too damn awful, and as half-empty as that glass really is looking, we still have half a glass of nice bourbon to swirl and sip as we ponder the good things that happened in 2015. At least we have that. And these things, too:
1. Let’s give it up for SCOTUS! Reason and fairness prevailed when the Supreme Court Justices decided that same-sex marriage was constitutional. Not only did it validate the genuine love between so many couples, the decision was proof that ancient dogma can be changed.
2. HBO became available for streaming. That’s a freakin’ game-changer.
3. The Keystone Pipeline got shuttered, finally. Seriously, the fact that it even took so long to get the kibosh was annoying because it was just a terrible idea if we’re actually going to try to stop fucking up the planet and protect our own lands and habitats. (But better late than never.)
4. Willie Nelson did not die. My fantasy of having him over for dinner followed by him chillin’ in my back yard playing Trigger for a couple of hours lives on. Not to mention the hope he provides for stoners everywhere. He may have 99 problems, but even at 82-years-old with an unfathomable amount of marijuana smoke inhaled, lung disease ain’t one.
5. Martin Shkreli got his. The nightmare douche who became the most loathed man in the country when he hiked up the price of Daraprim, a drug taken by HIV and cancer patients, from $13 to $750 per pill, ended up eating a shit sandwich recently when he was arrested for securities fraud. I bet any girl that ever slept with him is so in the throes of regretsysex.
6. Bernie got in the race. Whether or not you agree with his politics, Bernie Sanders is a tousle-haired breath of fresh air amongst a bunch of polished bullshitters who seem about one debate away from just devolving into rounds of “your mamas.” So far Dems Bernie and Hill have kept it pretty classy as far as the accusatory name calling thing goes, and it's kind of amazing to see a politician who isn’t ruled by corporate money.
7. If you’re reading this, you’re alive, so yay for that! To quote the simple yet wise words of everyone’s favorite dwarf, Tyrion Lannister, “Death is so final, yet life is so full of possibilities.” And so is 2016.
