Muna Al Fuzai

It seems like ages since we welcomed 2016, because so many things - mostly negative - happened this year. But another year is at our doorsteps. This article is dedicated to 2017, and of course, I don't want to spoil anyone's mood, so I made a list of all my pinky wishes and hopefully they would be the same as yours.

Money, money and more money - I still recall this old song by ABBA. I don't think this was just lyrics of a song, regardless of the typical talk that money is not important and is not everything in life. In our life today, money may not be everything, but it is 99 percent of everything, so this unknown 1 percent will do nothing in the face of the complexities of life. If you wish to make more money, take it from me - it is alright!

My second pinky wish includes a prayer for good health and happiness. We all want to have good health and live ever happily. Who doesn't? Let's remember that in order for anyone to have good health, it is important to exercise and eat well. Late night snacks and fast food are not the right stuff for good health. Good health is in your hands. It is an easy wish.

My third pinky wish is to have the opportunity to travel more and see places that I have never seen except on TV. I have never been to China or the Caribbean islands. It would be nice to learn more about new cultures and meet new people. My fourth pinky wish is to get more sleep. The bad news of war and civil conflicts is not allowing us to sleep well, because we keep thinking about what is happening - and who's next!

My fifth wish is to see my country no longer make decisions on behalf of expats without taking their interests into consideration. No more increases in fees, rent and prices of goods! My sixth wish is to see more peace initiatives being presented to this disturbed world. I don't see all those UN goodwill ambassadors doing enough to promote the idea of peace as a world concept and culture. I see some of them making more movies and making more money out of the publicity they get, but what about doing more good for the world? So we need new faces, but no more models and actresses - we have enough of them!

My seventh wish is a tip - to maintain good friendship. If you have old friends, keep them. There are no longer good and decent friends anymore. My last wish, but not least, is to share hugs and kisses with children and family members. We need to love and express our true feelings and sentiments - kids watch their parents fight, but they don't see them in love, which is a shame.

Now I am ready for 2017 with hopes and wishes. Happy New Year! May all your wishes come true!

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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