Goodbye 2011

Are we nearing the end of our national malaise? I hope so and apparently a majority of Americans think we are.

It’s promising to note that a recent poll finds that Americans are indeed looking up. An Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in December found that a majority of U.S. citizens believe 2012 will be a better year for our nation and our families.

Let’s hope the optimism is contagious. The poll, conducted Dec. 8-12, 2011, by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications, found that 62 percent of Americans are optimistic about what 2012 will bring for the nation. On a personal level, 78 percent said they are hopeful about the year their family will have in 2012.

Most agreed that 2011 was pretty dismal.

While few people would say it was the best of times, it certainly was not the worst of times either. Still, as we said goodbye to 2011 some might simply have said good riddance.

Last year was plagued by natural catastrophes that no one would wish to experience again.

Certainly not property and casualty insurers, whose year-end results with few exceptions reflected the misery heaped upon policyholders by natural forces. Nor the U.S. government, which made 99 disaster declarations last year, setting a record, according to the Insurance Information Institute. The previous record, 81, was set in 2010.

To recount: massive and prolonged flooding across the Midwest and all the way down the Mississippi River system to the Gulf of Mexico; extensive drought and wildfires, severe in Texas and Oklahoma; deadly and destructive tornadoes; hailstorms and freak snowstorms; earthquakes; hurricanes on the East Coast; the list goes on.

Though the transition from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 is just one day turning into another, the symbolic turning of the calendar leaf rarely fails to bring out the optimism even in the curmudgeons among us. Ever hopeful, we make resolutions and welcome a new beginning.

Winston Churchill is widely quoted as saying: “Attitude is a little thing that can make a big difference.”

So, as we open the door to another year let’s hope for the best, prepare for the worst and make a big difference with a positive attitude.

After all, as Scarlett O’Hara famously said: “Tomorrow IS another day.”