Due to my more frequent bouts with night insomnia causing some early awakenings for me these nights (usually anytime between 12:30 and 2:00 am), I am entertained by Family Entertainment Television (FETV), where they show episodes of Hazel, the Lone Ranger, and Leave it to Beaver. On one recent episode of Leave it to Beaver, the Beav sang the title of today’s narrative, and when I heard it, I recalled a movie where that song was sung. After scratching my head a bit I remembered the title of that movie and the multitalented All-Star cast in it.

The movie was titled, “A Hole in the Head,” which was first shown in 1959 and starred Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Carolyn Jones, Keenan Wynn, Dub Taylor, Thelma Ritter, and a young actor making his film debut. That young man, now 76 years old, is named Eddie Hodges. The monkey song was performed by Miss Jones in that film, and was not the highlighted song of that movie, but hearing Zamboanga made me think of the big song sung by “Old Blue Eyes” Sinatra, and the rookie of the reels, Hodges.

The song was titled, “High Hopes,” and it fit the movie, because Sinatra’s character was a man, trying to raise his young son, while running a Miami hotel. Business wasn’t great and he struggled, but had, what he felt were some great, “can’t miss,” ideas that would allow him to strike it rich. He was just waiting for the big break that would let his ship come in. As he waited, his older brother was pressuring him to find a nice woman and settle down for the sake of his son, or allow him and his wife to take the boy back home with them and let them raise him. With all of this going on, he, and his son, couldn’t get rid of the high hopes they had for their future together.

We are just a few hours from the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. It’s a time some make resolutions for the New Year, pledging that we will lose weight, or exercise more, or end a vice we may have, or become better at something, or take on a hobby we’ve been saying we’d do for years, etc. We all seem to make those resolutions, a lot easier than we are able to make them actually happen. But we all still seem to have high hopes.

There’s nothing wrong with having these hopes, these dreams, these things we want to make ourselves, and the world around us, better. They give us some motivation, some focus, some goals to shoot for, and maybe even a reason to face each day. We should hang on to those hopes, but as I look forward to the next 365 days, my resolution is to have hope for others, including others I don’t even know, and those to whom I am close, closer, and closest.

There is a lot of pain and suffering in our world today. I want to hope more that peoples’ pain goes away. There is a lot of loneliness in the world today. I want to hope more that those people affected can find others with whom to share conversation, smiles, and companionship.

There is a lot of hunger and homelessness in this world. I want to hope more for those to find shelter and be filled. There is a lot of despair and depression in this world. I want to hope that those afflicted may find some happiness and support. There is a lot of hate and meanness in this world. I want to hope a lot more that we all find ways to love, accept, tolerate, respect, and be nice to each other.

And there are a lot of physical and medical afflictions in our lives today, especially affecting some very close to each one of us. I definitely have more high hopes that they can get stronger again, that they can keep going as best they can.

I don’t just want to hope for all this in the coming year, I want to become more conscious of praying and thinking more and more of what is happening in the world and the people who live in it.

High hopes are great, but thoughts and prayers are more powerful. I have high hopes I can remember this in the coming year.

Maybe if I start singing, “Oh the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga” a little more, it will remind me to turn my high hopes for others into more prayers and thoughts for them, for peace in our world, for good health, for much happiness and friendship, and a greater respect for each other.

May we all have high hopes in this New Year, not just for ourselves, but for all those around us and in our world, whether we know them or not.

From the Voice from the Bullpen, I wish everyone a very happy, healthy, safe, hopeful and loving 2024.