January 1, 1959, el proximo año...

If you have to ask why that date is in the title, you probably will never understand. That is the day Fidel Castro and his band of merry men rolled into Havana. Since that day, the island of Cuba, and to an extent the world, has been under his power and spell in a way that boggles the mind. I don't want to argue the causes, I don't want to argue who is to blame and what could have been done, or what needs to be done, or who is to blame. The subject has been covered, and will be covered around the world, on other blogs, and for now, this is not the time or the place.

Every New Years Eve Cubans every where lift their glasses and say "el proximo año en Cuba", just like they did on Noche Buena, just like they did last year, and the one before that, and the one before that, and the one before that, every year, since 1960. Every year, someone says "THIS, is the last one, I can feel it..". Sadly, it keeps getting put off until the next year, and that one is again christened the "last" one. So will this one, be the last one? I don't have a crystal ball, and neither do you. Every year the news of Castro's health is worse and worse and the man just keeps on ticking like a freakin' Timex. Every year thousands of families lose a loved one whose only wish in life was to out live Fidel.

So, what's my point? Well, go ahead, enjoy the time with your family and friends, lift your glasses, and we will all say, or at the very least think, "el proximo año...". We will get it right at some point. He can't live forever. (He can't guys, lets face it.)