Another New Year

Well folks, we survived the holly-daze. (insert non-enthusiastic “yeah” here). I don’t know about the rest of you, but the 2010 holiday season for me was kinda… meh. In a lot of ways, it was sorta backward. Normally, I quickly hit my people-quotient really early, but put a lot of efforts into the whole “stuff” aspect. You know – decorating, shopping, prepping, and all of the backdrops. This year, we went very light on the stuff. Most of the decorations never came out of the basement. We really did very little in terms of holiday shopping or presents. But I turned up the burners (both figuratively and literally) on holiday dinners. I was absolutely THRILLED to have a full dinner table for both Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. New Years itself was a lot of unexpected fun. After so many years of throwing a New Years Eve party at the house, it was nice to go to another party with a different crowd. Not that there is anything wrong with the usual crowd of people. I just enjoyed having some completely different conversations and meeting some new faces – that’s rather unusual for me, I gotta admit. So it was a welcome change.

 

So what does 2011 hold? Well, I am no better at looking into the crystal ball than anybody else. I can tell you what I hope for.

 

Health: I hope that all of my friends and family either stay healthy, or begin walking along the road to better health. In some cases, poor health is a result of poor choices (not exercising, not eating right, too much of a bad thing, etc.) In other cases, it is just a cynical stroke of Fate’s cold paintbrush. No matter what the future holds in terms of health, I hope we all face it with strength, bravery, and determination; but not in judgment.

 

Stability: Gone are the days of the dot-com brats who figured they could call the shots, make 6 figures, buy lots of ludicrous vanity items, and retire early. This country is in the worst economic shape than we’ve seen in ages. And who should we blame? Well… ourselves. I think this whole mess is one helluva wake-up call, and one that we needed to have happen, frankly. I’ve seen some really horrible hardships fall on good people. We’ve had some minor inconveniences, but nothing like what has happened to friends and family near and far. Right now, the economy is beginning to recover, but it will be a sloooooooow recovery. I think the same can be said for people near and far. Maybe now is not the time to just blow money on vanity. Maybe now is the time to think, “Hmmmm… maybe we should just wait.”

 

Friendships: this past year has seen an interesting evolution for me in terms of friendships. While a few people have drifted away (or more accurately, been encouraged to drift away), a few very close friends of mine have become even closer. Sometimes it was simply through proximity and time together. Other times, because of trials and tribulations. But as we have woven more and more intricately together, I cannot imagine how dreary my life would be without them to add color, variety, spice, laughter, challenge, inspiration, understanding, and love.

 

Marriage: My hubby and I have been through a lot together. I really can’t make up my mind because my view point keeps changing. Some days, it feels like we’ve been together for years. Other times, it seems like just such a short time. But the facts are the facts – April will mark nine years since I stepped off the plane to become a Kal-ee-for-nee-an. And it has now been 11 years since we began this relationship. Is our relationship perfect? Heck no. We each drive the other crazy. We each push each other’s buttons. But when all is said and done, “home” isn’t our house. “Home” is with each other.

 

I think what I am hoping for in 2011 is a year of change. Not sudden change. Not radical change. But transition. I want to see 2011 be a year of calm, slowly bringing about positive change and happy resolution to things. So many people really need this. I hope for a quiet end to the conflicts in the middle east. I hope for a quiet rebound from the economic troubles. And I hope to one day wake up and quietly realize that there simply are no more significant troubles out there.

 

Wouldn’t that be loverly?