The Bonfire

We all gathered together after a swim in the icy river for a charity on New Year's Day. I was alone among the others, crowded together in friendship and camaraderie in their own little groups. It had become a New Year's tradition for me. Visit the bakery for some coffee, then to the river bank as people prepared to jump in the frozen river for a good cause, some in outlandish costumes to really get into the spirit of things, from the Blue's Brothers to a bee costume. After the event, it was to a loacal pub and diner, and enjoyed some more coffee and free sandwiches, and with a cigar out on the porch with nearby speakers blaring out some good rock tunes. Here I would make new friends, join conversations, and renew acquaintences from the year before. Finally, the night was capped at a nightclub owned by a friend named Buster, and enjoyed a celebratory Pilsner beer. The final one I attended was in 2020, just befor the Pandemic. Little did we all know that this celebration and others like it were to be put on indefinite hold. For some reason, I felt a sense of foreboding. As usual, I stood back and enjoyed seeing the people having fun and socializing around the bonfire, huddling close one another as a shelter agaiinst the cold air and river water, and taking it all in. Slowly, each of the circles of friends left for the bar until there was a small remanant of us around the bonfire, and it cracked as the embers blew in the wind until it was just small flame slowly dying. Then I was there alone, and pondering what the new year would bring, hope or despair. I then slowly walked up the hill alone and hoping to rejoin the others in the merriment of the day, and regardless of what the future would hold, I would embrace the happiness and friendship around me for that day.