Got up around 11am. No hangover whatsoever. The rains had stopped, the sun glowing. The wind pushing the clouds by like speeding cars. The hills behind the house shining wet green. I took a short walk, while the others still slept. And while I was walking, the wind spoke to me for the first time in a long long while. It said, Everything's gonna be alright... And everything will stay alright. That's a nice thing to be told on a bright New Year's morning. And although the wind has been known to lie on occasion... for the moment, I'll choose to remain optimistic. © Ithaka Darin Pappas [Sintra, Portugal - 1993].