Waylon’s New Year’s Wishes to You, on behalf of Elephant community.

Happy New Year! Should Auld Acquaintance be forgot…

I hope you ran around the block with a suitcase. I hope you kissed a loved one, or hugged your sweet self.

We made it. Not all of us, and many of us are worse for the wear. Those of us who were stable, are vulnerable. Those of us who were vulnerable, are hurting.

The good news: we voted. Many of us cared for one another, even as lies and hate spread like wildfires and hurricanes. Personally, I got married, rather late in life. I got an EV. I’m on the verge of having to leave my lifelong home of Boulder, Colorado. My mom aged, but is still doing great, and I’d like to be closer to her. And Kelsey, my dear wife, wants to be closer to her son, and not just on holidays.

The bad news: Trump is back, with his lies and hate and invective. In the face of such coming power for not-good, we need to show we can change, and be heroes we are waiting for…and we don’t change. We look forward to air travel, rampant tourism, clicking Amazon, and eating our burgers…instead of coming into our own power and shopping locally, eating vegan, traveling by train or bike or EV or bus before car or truck or plane…say. But if we don’t seem to change, you might change, and I might change, and together, you and I are a we.

Thanks to you, Elephant survived and thrived through another year, our 22nd. The Big Man—Meta’s Facebook and Instagram and Whatsapp and Threads and Google’s Youtube and Elon’s X and TikTok have gobbled up human communication and community. We resist that. We’re independent, and mission-driven.

Frankly, I’m a bit surprised we’re still here. It’s thanks to Molly, and Brian, and Shanon, and Lindsey, and Lester, and Nicole, and Lisa, and Elyane, and Kelsey, and our other dear staff—once so big, now so small, always so great and caring. And it’s thanks to you: when you write, or read, or get our newsletter…Elephant survives and thrives to serve another day.

Here’s our best offerings from all of 2024, for a mindful look back, that it may spring us forward into a more loving, cooler world.

With Trump coming in and our planet heating up, we’re gonna need ’em.