What a Year

People start singing Auld Lang Syne and a flash of images passes before your eyes and you start thinking, "Geez, that was a long year, wasn't it?"

It was torturous going through it at times, like just for instance, the Peterson (search) trial.

That seemed to drag forever ... then bang … over ... decision ... done ... gone. And all of a sudden it's New Year's Eve and people are looking back on the Peterson thing saying, "I spent a year on that thing?"

It was the same with politics. Presidential campaigns now span a few years, but it comes down heavy in just one. It went by in a blur. But it was a long slog, wasn't it?

I remember my boss saying at the start of the year, you won't see a positive story about George W. Bush for an entire year. He was right. Finally, after the election, after all the attempts to make sure he lost had themselves failed, Time's Joe Klein wrote a nice piece about Bush, saying, hey did anybody notice it's the Benetton presidency? Meaning, Bush has become Mr. Diversity with Condi Rice and Colin Powell and the rest dotting his administration.

Gee, nobody would say that before Election Day, though it's always been true.

Let's see: What else happened?

Well, for one thing, I started the year in a wheelchair and ended it on my feet, walking again. That will teach you a thing or two.

A guy I know here at FOX who lives in a wheelchair said to me, "Maybe you can get something done about all this crap." He was referring to the unbelievably casual and stupid obstacles people who can walk place in the way of people who can't. I never gave it much thought until I was trying to roll around New York City. The curb ramps are nice, but next time you're in one of those drug stores with displays in the middle of the aisles, think about it.

Anyway it was a year like all the others, but different in its own ways. May you have many of them.

And that's My Word and the very last one of 2004.

Watch John Gibson weekdays at 5 p.m. ET on "The Big Story" and send your comments to: myword@foxnews.com