Let’s kick off the new year with some humor (essential now more than ever) and then offer some hopes for 2025.

Here are the limericks I presented at the New Year’s Eve party for Thornton Oaks, an event held between the senior-friendly hours of 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“I’m glad you are here at this party

Which will be, God willing, most hearty

So now let down your hair

If you have some to spare

And prove you’re not just an old farty.

 

For my part, I’ve crafted an ode

To this place, our treasured abode,

If you like it, please cheer,

If not, drink your beer

And slink back out into the cold.

 

There once was a place for old folks

That was known by the name Thornton Oaks.

From afar or quite near

They moved to be here

Lots of chicks plus a bunch of old blokes.

 

They came not to die but to live

Though their memories leaked just like a sieve.

‘What the hell,’ they would say,

‘We get up every day

With something still ready to give.’

 

It took time for some to adjust,

No surprise with bodies of rust.

But in no time at all

They were having a ball

Doing good things, not bothered by lust.

 

Some took to the tables for games

Which challenged the gents and the dames

Others sat down with good books

In small groups or soft nooks

Their pleasure quite equal, the same.

 

For some it was music they craved

Not too loud, just normal, they prayed.

The tunes made them glad

For the days they once had

Old fears gone, no longer afraid.

 

Some liked to go off on the bus

So smooth with no muss and no fuss

But there was always a straggler

They wanted to gaggle her

From the back came an unmuffled cuss.

 

They gathered for meals every night

Sharing thoughts mostly cheery and light.

They’d order in exquisite detail

Seeking perfection, the next Holy Grail.

Then dodder off into the night.

 

But then, to be sure, were the falls

The constant emergency calls

Good grief, they would wonder

Am I next to go under

Is that all there is, is that all?

 

But that’s the thing about here.

When you’re down, there are others right near.

You’re never alone

In this place we call home.

If you look, you can always find cheer

 

At the end of the day or the night,

We discovered with unmatched delight

We’re all in this together

Through all kinds of weather

This place is much more than just right.”

 

(Brief pause for guffaws or groans, cheers or jeers.)

 

Okay, now to the hopes for the coming year.

1. That the world’s leaders will finally decide that fighting endless wars makes no sense. Put another way, taking over other countries or seeking revenge are bad strategies for creating a leadership legacy, let alone for making a peaceful world. On that front, I’m reading “Apeirogon,” a powerful novel by Colum McCann about two fathers (one Israeli, one Palestinian) who each lost a daughter to the conflict.

2. That nations will cooperate to tackle the issue of climate change, which is real, not a hoax.

3. That members of Congress will work together on behalf of the American people, not just to get reelected.

4. That Americans of all colors and backgrounds and religions and political persuasions will agree that preserving American democracy is important. Let’s hope we will prove up to the task.

5. That everyone everywhere recognize that we’re all just mortal beings. No one’s going to get out of here alive. We’ll all be better off if we acknowledge that life is not a zero sum game. As one comedian said, “One plus one equals three if you know how to work it right.” Let’s work it right. And have a few laughs along the way.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future Just a Little Old columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.

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