I’m going to do 2 little retrospectives this year, but I’m going to start with a personal one first, so if this isn’t your cup of tea, just move on to the 2nd article (which is more about the world at large) and read that instead.
The last 10 years (10 years!?!) have been quite interesting for me, now that I really sit down and think about it. Of course, a lot has happened (which I’ve written about in more detail elsewhere in my blog), so I won’t go into details here – but I will summarize, because summarizing and making “top X” lists is what the New Year is all about!
- I leave college after 4 years and start my own company (though not by myself).
- I got my first apartment in Fitchburg and lived officially “on my own” for the first time (the time I spent at college – even when I lived there over the summer – only half counts).
- Amanda, my long-distance girlfriend from Australia, packs her backs and moves to America to live with me!
- Amanda and I get married! Who-hoo!
- After a lot of prodding, I finally go back and finish the 2 classes I needed to graduate from college!
- Through a very bizzare series of events, I end up with 2 pet rabbits!
- I buy a new car (my beloved Mitsubishi Outlander) and end up getting screwed by a corrupt car dealership.
- I travel back and forth to Australia more than a few times, and see some really neat stuff while I’m there!
- I learn to cook more than just the meat & potato casseroles I used to eat in college.
- I move to New Jersey! (And I get to work from home!)
- I’ve gotten better at acting “grown-up” (though it’s still an act, because I’m still a kid at heart)
And that just about brings us up-to-date with the crazy journey that has been my life thus far. It’s been a wild ride, to be sure – there were ups, and there were definitely downs as well. But lately there seem to be more ups than downs, which is good, because now that I’m in my 30’s I’m getting too old for the drama of youth. But life is good these days, and fate has been relatively good to me lately, so I have no complaints. And of course I’m looking forward to the next 10 years of crazy adventures as well!
I’m sorry if this post has sounded a little sappy, or even self-serving in some ways. However, around this time of year I always like to look back fondly, rather than look back and see all the negatives. I know they happened (I can never forget them), but I’ve moved past them. I prefer to face the new year optimistically – that’s just the way I am.
So, if you’re looking back at your own life, hopefully you’ll look more at the positive things rather than the negative things, and see the possibilities of a brighter future ahead. I know I am!
Happy New Year, everyone! See you in 2010!
