Hunley: Don't resolve; just hope

Broken your New Year's resolutions yet?

I would have, which is why several years ago I stopped making them.

However, don't think that that particular pessimism extends to the rest of 2010. Hope is what we need in the new year.

That notion isn't the private province of a specific politician, either, though I remain hopeful that the president can work with the GOP this year. Maybe we'll even see the Leader of the Free World breaking bread with Virginia's own Rep. Eric Cantor, the second-ranking Republican in the House.

As for Richmond, I remain hopeful that Gov.-elect Robert F. McDonnell can find common ground with our state Sen. Charles J. Colgan and other Democrats to lead the Old Dominion out of the current budget debacle.

That may sound like Pollyanna, but would you rather assume that nothing will get done? That would make for a great story for people like me, but it's not good for the state.

Anyway, as I noted earlier, hope isn't a Democratic or a Republican creation. So it shouldn't be reserved solely for politics.

I also remain hopeful ...

- That my son will inherit a better world. We're there with technology -- have you seen the new Droid phones? -- but with Christmas terrorists and community college shooters, we're a long way from everyone getting along.

- That my industry will make it out of the doldrums. And that my friend and the other good folks laid off last week at the Washington Times find jobs.

- That, as I wrote last week, the Potomac Nationals will long play their home games in Prince William County.

- That the Boston Celtics will win every NBA championship until the end of time ... and that the Redskins will actually win back-to-back games.

- That my friend, pro wrestler Jimmy Cicero of Manassas, really will "body slam autism" and raise lots of money for research as his body-slamming opponents around the country.

- That I will actually exercise again. It's been such a long time that I probably won't recognize the people at Powerhouse Gym in Woodbridge. They will have aged that much.

- And that if we can't form a more perfect union, if Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren can't have a conversation that doesn't involve swinging golf clubs, or Greg Letiecq of Help Save Manassas and Gaudencio Fernandez of 9500 Liberty St. don't share a man hug, that you will at least turn to this space every Monday for some play-by-play of life here.

Thank you for reading. And, seriously, forget that resolution and have another doughnut. You and I can hit the gym next week.

Jonathan Hunley is a staff writer at the News & Messenger. Contact him at 703-369-5738 or at jhunley@insidenova.com.