Can you believe we are in the last quarter of 2024? It seems like only yesterday I was ringing in the new year with new friends in my neighborhood. As I reflect on all the things I have done in this swift year, I am reminded that there is still so much I want (and need) to do before the year comes to a close.
First things first, is making sure the Harris-Walz ticket is successful on November 5. Considering this presidential race is so close in so many crucial swing states, it is very plausible that we may not know who is declared the winner on election night. However, for the next few weeks, I am going to do whatever I can to make sure friends and family are registered, have a voting plan, and a contingency voting plan, as well as come up with talking points for undecided and apathetic voters.
Second, I am going to spend more time in nature. I must keep reminding myself to get outside more, even as the weather gets more rainy and colder. I went birding the other week with my “birding bestie” and I could literally feel more blood pressure coming down as I looked at the various cardinals and wrens fluttering around. Also, just walking around meandering and talking with a good friend is so good for my health. I must make time to do it more often.
Third, as the year winds down and I try not to become consumed with local and national politics, I am going to continue to support the arts and sports teams in New York. The New York Knicks season is beginning and I am quite excited to experience the collective joy that the team brings to the city. I am also going to see a few good shows in the upcoming weeks. “Good Bones” is playing at The Public Theater and “Bad Kreyòl” is showing at the Signature. I am so sure I’ll have thoughts on those two shows that I will write about in a later column.
I am really trying to run through the tape with the remaining months in 2024. It’s been a wild year with so many twists and turns. When I look at my yearly bingo card, I did not have Biden stepping aside and elevating Kamala Harris or Diddy sitting in a Brooklyn detention center indefinitely. And if history follows its normal pattern, the last quarter of the year is often filled with surprises. Who knows what is in store in our political or entertainment world, but hopefully you are making a plan to maximize these remaining months in 2024. Are there any good books on your reading list? Is there something you’ve been wanting to try? Is there someone you need to speak to (or delete) before the new year rolls around? Whatever it is, you’ve got this last quarter to make it happen.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
