Happy New Year from Eagle Harbor, MI

About six hours before the big countdown ...

Just returned from an afternoon of fun in the snow. Up here in the U.P., we got about a foot of snow last night (most of it during our drive), so this morning we had to figure out to do with all the fresh white stuff. Our solution: Tie sleds to the back of a four-wheeler and slide around the state highway running through town. At one moment, as I was sliding off the road towards a tree, I thought to myself, "Well, this is a stupid way to die. A thirty-something-year-old guy, acting a fool along with a bunch of thirty-something-year-old fools."

Then again, it wouldn't be such a bad way to go. Or should I say, there really isn't one way that's better to go then another. Maybe smashing into a tree, actually having a good time, would beat a long, prolonged death in old age.

I was reminded of an article from yesterday's Trib about a guy who dropped dead after bowling a perfect 300 game. Reached perfection in the bowling alley and, minutes later, dropped dead of a heart attack. This brought on a discussion of what would be the way to go. After what perfect event would it be OK to die? To die happy?

Leave thoughts in the commments (if you're out there reading). I'd say the only answer that doesn't qualify is sex. Too cliched. So, what would it be? A hole in one on the golf course? Watching the Northern Lights? Or sledding at stupid speeds on a state highway, surrounded by a group of good friends?

I don't mean to say I'd like to die anytime soon. There are plenty of insane things I haven't done yet. But here's the goal for 2006: Live insanely every day. In case anything ever goes wrong, at least I could leave laughing.

Anyway, Happy New Year. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, but if you do, name it after me.