And so it begins, or does it?

The new decade has arrived with the new year. Well, I know there is some discussion about whether the new decade begins this year or next--but does it really matter? We are in the 20's. 

There is an interesting discussion about how the calendar was created and that the new decade technically begins with the arrival of 2021 in an article titled, When does the new decade begin and end anyway?  

Regardless of the scientific discussion, the new year is underway, of that we can all agree! Who knew that the monks who created the calendar forgot to number the first year, "0"? So for the discussion about whether a new decade has started, here is a quote from the article I referenced: "In terms of counting millennia or centuries or decades, it doesn't really matter," Bikos told CNN. "It's a man-made system. It matters in terms of categorizing time spans and talking about time spans. But the 203rd decade is, in astronomical terms, no different than the decade before or after."

So let the party continue and enjoy the day. It really does not matter whether the new decade begins today or a year from now. 

Happy New Year! 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD