Like most people, I am taking today to reflect on the past 365 days and wonder “where the bloody hell did the time go?”
While I’m ready to have 2007 come to an end, I’m not entirely sorry it happened. In many ways it’s been a hard year, but it’s also brought me a lot of joy.
Bad: spouse starts the year unemployed & in therapy for serious depression.
Good: comes out the other end of treatment better, healthier & happier … and employed.
Bad: both living grandparents are in declining health, spending time in hospitals and often in conditions close to death.
Good: visiting and talking with them reminds me what “family” is and makes me grateful that I have people in multiple time zones I can consider family (blood relatives or not).
Bad: sabbatical was not spent writing the great American novel or producing a short film.
Good: sabbatical was spent reconnecting with friends and family (plus most of the “great American novels” they made me read in high school were idealistic crap anyway, so why should I contribute to the literary pain of future generations)
Bad: lost connection with a close friend (totally my fault).
Good: friendship somewhat restored, but not to factory condition. Friendship with others strengthened as a result of my coping with the fallout.
Bad: started the year with almost no zeal for Dragon*ConTV or other hobbies.
Good: zeal restored thanks to a good group of people reminding me how much we’ve managed to create in five years. I also realize I need to change how we approach DCTV, but I definitely want to see it move forward.
Bad: felt like I started the year with too much on my plate.
Good: had to admit that the limits of time apply to my life and put some things down for a while. Martial arts and other ideas had to take a back seat for a bit, but spending time with the spouse, reconnecting with friends and podcasting (which made new friends) have been good.
Bad: Patrick’s mother died, Phil died.
Good: hard to say anything good comes from those events, except for the support I saw spring forth from my friends.
Good: 2007 made me see how many important people I have managed to accumulate, and how lucky I am to have them in my life. Some are old friends made better, some are new friends on the way to being old friends.
Bad: there isn’t enough time for those people in just one year.
Thanks to you all. 2007 wasn’t all bad, but I want 2008 to be better.
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