The holidays are over. The world didn’t end as predicted by the Mayan calendar and there is still abundant life on earth. For many around the country, however, there have been difficult times. Last month there was horrific news of two shootings — one close to home and another on the other side of the country. Holidays sometimes compound the hard times, and each year they can seem even more trying, especially for those struggling to make ends meet in a tough economy.

A week before Christmas, I received bad financial news. I won’t go into detail, but it cast gloom on a holiday season rife with consumerism and it has caused concern as I enter 2013.

A few days before Christmas, my best friend kept vigil with her ex-partner who died from terminal breast cancer. My friend was not alone. Throughout the holidays, amid the peace-love-happy Facebook photos, I also learned about other friends struggling with hardship and the death of loved ones.

Reading the news around the world can be a recipe for depression. Violence, wars, inequity … None of it makes sense. And problems I thought might be resolved within my lifetime seem too immense to ever solve.

All the "isms" still exist and have found new life in a variety of media. It seems doubtful they’ll ever go away. Racism especially appears to be on the rise. There’s a growing fear of China and the "yellow peril." There are subtle things such as the "Make Me Asian" app on Google and negative comments made about basketball player Jeremy Lin. A multitude of racist comments were tweeted about our president when he interrupted a football game to address the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. There is still so much anger and bigotry that exists in this country.

The world is full of people who act, people who follow, and those who do a little of both. Some fight for things I understand, like helping the disenfranchised, cleaning up the planet, growing healthy food, providing healthcare, improving education, or fighting for civil rights. Others fight for things I don’t understand, like guns, capital punishment, hoarding wealth, and creating giant fences on our borders.

What do I feel hopeful about in 2013? I have to take stock: a good home and husband; two twin tabby cats; a brother who is far from the norm, but doing better than he ever has in his life; close friends who I can call when I need a lifeline.

I pine for what turned out to be the gravy days before the 2008 crash. As I get older, there are fewer work opportunities. That’s partly the way it should be. It makes way for younger folks who face a great amount of debt coming out of college. Yet I feel I’m too young to be put out to pasture, so there’s a division between how things should be for the world and how I want them to be for myself.

I wish my health insurance hadn’t been raised to $550 a month on my birthday. I wish life wasn’t such a day-to-day struggle. I wish we weren’t at war with each other and in other countries. I wish the wealthy would realize they don’t need to spend so much money to live. Okay, I’m really dreaming now. But I wish life were easier for us all.

What gives me hope? A project I can do that makes the world a little better, a chance to look up at the stars, a random act of kindness or courage, doing more good than bad, and yes, seeing a child who feels safe.

Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.