New Year, Old Thoughts

I keep a journal. I have since I was about 6 or 7, which was a very long time ago. I no longer write every day. Some nights I fall asleep before I hit the bed, but I do try to chronicle the big events or big emotions in my world, or the world in general.

I always write on New Year's Eve. I reflect on the year just passed. I also set my goals for the new year. Never resolutions - only goals. You can always be working towards a goal where a resolution can be broken immediately. Once broken, few ever look back and start over.

This past year had its share of ups and downs. I lost family members. I watched a friend bury her 21 year old son. I experienced another friend's joy when her daughter and son-in-law were finally able to adopt a child. I saw other family members deteriorate physically and mentally and still others step up to the plate. My family (both sides) added members. I'd call them new babies but my dad always pointed out that "new" is the only way that babies come so it is somewhat redundant. Daddy was a wise old soul in that sense.

This country made history last year in the presidental election. History was going to be made no matter what - either the first black president or first female vice president. Whether or not you agreed with the outcome, it was history in the making and we were all part of it. I thought at the time about my almost 95 year old grandmother. No women or black citizens could even vote when she was born. Think about all the changes she's lived through. And they are good changes. This country is finally approaching, in my opinion, what was intended from the start. Anyone can be nominated for any office in this nation and everyone gets the right to vote. All should have an equal voice in how this country is run. One voice, one vote.

The economy has been better. But it has also been worse. And the people survived when times were hard. And we'll all survive again and come out better on the other side. Sometimes I think we need these reminders of how good we actually have things. Lots of countries haven't even blinked at paying $4 a gallon for gas, and have seen that for years. It pops up on our gas pumps and everyone freaks out. Of course now that it is down to just over a $1 people are still freaking out. We're never happy I guess.

So, 2008 was the best of times and it was the worst of times. As were most of the years before it and as will be the ones to come. The question is always what we do with what we're handed. Make the most of the time you have. Hug your kids (or your pets), love and support your spouse. Treat your parents with respect - even if you don't always think they deserve it. They've been here longer, lived through and seen more than you have. Be kind to the people you run across each day. You have no way of knowing what kind of day they're having and a smile and kind word may be all they need to get through it. Maybe someone will do the same for you when you're having a bad day. Improve yourself. Learn to relax. Do what you need to do to be a better you.

My goals - learn Italian so my husband and I can go there for our 20th anniversary; attend my 25th high school reunion this summer and reconnect with old friends; call my grandmother more often while I still can. Be the best wife, daughter and sister I can be - a challenge while also being the best employee I can be. Try to find that right balance to keep everyone in my universe, including myself, happy.

Happy 2009. I hope it is a wonderful year for you.