The first half of 2024 leaves a lot of anxiety to come in the rest of the year. But WFAE’s Tommy Tomlinson, in his "On My Mind" commentary, says there’s still time to rally.
There’s an internet meme from a few years back where a high school football player is being interviewed after a game where his team won a close one at the end. The quote that went viral is this: “They had us in the first half, I’m not gonna lie.”
Well, today — July 1— is the first day of the second half of the year. As parents know best, but the rest of us eventually learn, the days go slow but the years go fast. We’re half done with 2024 already. There is probably so much you planned to do this year that you haven’t done. You might feel as hopelessly behind as — well, as the Panthers in almost all their games last season.
The second half is a time for comebacks.
In a few months, those very Panthers will take the field with a team full of fresh draft picks and free agents. The Hornets, just the other night, used their first-round pick on a teenage Frenchman who’s full of potential.
A lot of businesses ended their fiscal year on June 30, and they enter the new year with a clean balance sheet and a lot of hope. Farmers who spent the first of the year planting and weeding and fertilizing now head out into the fields for the harvest. Tomatoes, peaches and corn — the holy trinity — all hit their peaks soon.
I am trying to keep this light and hopeful but it would be wrong to carry that tone into our politics. You saw or heard President Biden’s stumbles in the debate the other night. You know the thin thread in this election between those who believe in democracy and those who do not. Anger and resentment and lies are leading in the polls.
But we have come back from worse. And there is still time on the clock.
Our world is designed this way. Every Monday morning is a prompt to start over. Every change of seasons offers the grace of a reset. Every new year gives us a chance to be resolute.
The good guys don’t always win — I’m not gonna lie. Sometimes the team stinks again or the company goes bankrupt or the crops rot in the field. There are always potential disasters ahead.
But I do believe in not giving up. I do believe in playing hard to the final whistle. And I definitely believe in comebacks. I’ve seen so many. The second half starts today. Believe in yourself, and in this country. Don’t quit.
Tommy Tomlinson’s On My Mind column runs Mondays on WFAE and WFAE.org. It represents his opinion, not the opinion of WFAE. You can respond to this column in the comments section below. You can also email Tommy at ttomlinson@wfae.org.
