Long ago I decided that the last day of the year should be treated with the sort of extreme caution owed to a snake in a sack.
And at this time of year I often think about The Omega Man (1971) a film starring Charlton Heston and based on the enjoyable novel I am Legend by Richard Matheson (as was the 2007 Will Smith remake I am Legend). The last man alive is not alone, and has to contend with the undead.
In my case, left alone to brood, the zombies of self-recrimination can lumber out of the dark at this time of year. Give them permission and I can hear them muttering through cracks in the windows about how my objectives for 2015 were not all fulfilled. Not to mention the persistently mystifying absence of a J.K. Rowling level of success.
The only thing to do is to seize my imaginary infrared light rifle and fight all these undead miseries off. The bloodless clumping ‘should-have-dones’ do have a purpose, however. They help me refine my plans for next year, and inspire me to keep trying. But as soon as they get too negative, they have to be culled.
So join me in slaughtering a few zombies. It can be quite therapeutic. Once I thin them out a bit I can notice my actual achievements. Nothing extraordinary, but a year perhaps that lays the foundations for a stronger one next year. My blessings are many. My personal life is fantastic, my business is going strong, I continue to find joy in reading literature and the friends I make through it, my own poems are finding new audiences, and I have a play in the offing. Everything is great apart from a few pesky zombies.
Tomorrow is New Year’s Day. An opportunity for a fresh start that’s literally built into our calendars. I’m looking forward to it already. I hope you are too. Cheers, and I wish you a zombie-free new year.
Peter Kenny: a writer's notebook 