The Year in Review

Indulge me in some self-centered reminiscing, won't you? It's rather impossible to be anything but sentimental & reflective on New Year's eve.

What a busy year it was, as I am sure it was for you, too. There was the retiring of Brett Favre and the subsequent un-retiring of Brett Favre, the favre-o-roids and the pants that no longer fit. A new job came to the addiverse (of which we do not speak) and a new face on the political horizon (of She Who Must Not be Named). The mold mobile kept rolling, Madonna kept on strutting, prestigious awards were bestowed upon the wife and our first cruise was enjoyed (unexpectedly freezingly cold). I learned to believe in the power of chiropractic treatment, joined Book de la Face and got my first cell phone. Addiction to text messaging followed. Dos Marias got married, niece number six arrived, Freckles Warrior Princess spent oodles of hours at the vet and I learned the merits of doing housework.

My gratitude for the wife factor multiplied by a million.

Lucy Bark of Poteidaia continued to hate all dogs in the neighborhood. The Brewers and the Cubs both choked, quite to the horror of our household. Master Reiki had a horrible accident and bravely faced the trials of healing. I fell in love with Jillian, broke up with Jillian, got back together with Jillian, despised Jillian, relapsed back to Jillian. My beloved lady chiropractor healed my knee (or was it the breakup with Jillian that led to the knee improvement?). Wild Mama became Cool Mama, Taco Juan lost two feet of his intestines and Sister Lady Di ruled the school board. Not enough time was spent with the Chicago Nieces. I fell three people short of my goal of 50 people by 12/31/08 on Book de la Face (well, I have a few more hours to make that goal). I re-pierced my ears in the bathroom (bad idea) while the wife made sure a new roof and a new wood floor came to our life. I lost money on the Madonna concert but in the end decided that going to the concert and keeping a friendship is always more important than money.

Did I mention my pants no longer fit?

As usual, the year went too quickly. How unfair is it that the older you get, the faster the years go by?

I don't make resolutions because it just sets you up to fail. After all, why say you're going to do something because it's a certain day of the year? If I did make resolutions, I'd probably resolve to get back into my pants; never take for granted family, friends, life, work and all the things that truly matter; walk the dogs more often; work on the garden daily; eat less white sugary products; eat more vegetables; make more art; save money; go on a super-great vacation to some fabulous island; visit family more often; meditate; get my pap on time; get a white tattoo (so much for saving money); lower my cholesterol via diet to below 200; resolve my issues with Jillian; cut my addiction to the Internet and text messaging by half; not make fun of the Baby Jesus; curb my stalking of my Beloved Lady Chiropractor; and, get new license plates.

Shallow? Maybe. But, you already know that I can be a tacky, shallow person. Maybe I'll work on that, too. Less shallow, more content, more veggies, more gratitude. Integrity, serenity, humility. It doesn't get much better than that.

A new, blank slate. A new year. Same old me. And, in the big picture, that really is okay. Happy New Year to you!
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and remember: "If you want it, you already got it; If you thought it, It better be what you want." (Madonna, "4 Minutes")