2010 vs 2011
Has anyone else gotten into all the "countdowns" on tv this week? Probably not, I'm strange that way. Having said that, having a little free time on my hands since the weekend and the wintery weather we and a good chunk of the country got, I was all up in those countdowns.
I love countdowns because they remind me of interesting things that happened during a given time. The best songs of the year, the biggest celebrity meltdowns, the best sports plays, they all lead to one thing, the end of an era.
As we end this year, I suppose very few of us can truly say we accomplished everything we set out to. Chances are, you belong to the "human" race and thus had your fill like the rest of us of "life". Life has a way of reminding us we aren't in charge sometimes. It's a great lesson to learn. I assume like most, you have had your ups and downs, your share of moments of pure bliss and joy and moments of absolute pain and sorrow.
I lost a cousin to suicide this past summer. A cousin I grew up with but as things go, one whom I hadn't stayed in touch with much as an adult. One of those, I left the fair city I grew up in as quickly as I could after high school; he stuck around, and we never really had much in common after that. I beat myself up for months after his death. I wasn't there for him. Maybe had I been in his life, he wouldn't have taken it. I always figured we would have more time. I just always expected at the right moment, we would get back into each others' lives and all would be ok. It wasn't. "Life" didn't give me that option and I had to content with all the things I "didn't" say. All the things I "didn't" do while I had a chance. Learned a real tough life lesson. One I hope sticks with me forever. I can tell you today I have more of my extended family close to me than I have in my adult life and am truly happy about it. I am finally saying all the I love you's I should have been saying all along.
I also lost my dog this year. I know this may sound silly but he was the first dog I ever lost. Most people with dogs have had them since they were kids and so their first loss came at a young age. I didn't experience it till I was 40 years old. It was heartbreaking to hold this animal who had welcomed me back from deployments to hell and back, business trips, 10 minutes away at the grocery story, like I was the most impressive human being on earth. To hold him in my arms and see his eyes look into mine with the trust they did as they put him to sleep is still something I think about daily. There are few bonds stronger than that of a person and their dog.
These are significant personal events in my life which made a huge difference in what I will remember about this year. While initially they sure as hell felt negative, as I move into 2011 I choose to find the silver lining. My cousin passing away reminded me the importance of family and I immediately reached out to people I hadn't spoken to in years. For the first time in my adult life, many of them are back in it and my life is so much more complete. My cousin passing also reminded me of the love I felt for him, the good times we had when we both had nothing, and I mean nothing, growing up. The laughs we shared, and the tears we cried in each others' arms are memories I will hold dear forever. My dog taught me what unconditional love was and reminded me how very thankful we need to be to have the love of those who choose to love us. He reminded me to appreciate every moment I have on this earth.
I don't know what 2011 has in store for me. None of us do. Chances are, it will be full of ups and downs just like every other year we've lived on this earth. But I assure you, you can make of it anything you want. See the beauty in things, appreciate the relationships you have, remember the ones you've lost with appreciation. Not everyone exists in our lives for a lifetime but the memories and the emotions associated with those memories, the good ones, those can't be taken away. They are a part of the fabric which makes you you. Let go of the negativity. Let go of the things which hurt. They only serve to poison your heart.
As we count down the good and bad of 2010, let us remember, if there is one goal we can guarantee ourselves success in, it's "choosing" to be happy. Happiness is a choice we make. Life will be more than happy to give us reasons not to be, but ultimately, we control only one person on this earth, ourselves. Choose to find the positive, choose to appreciate the little things, and choose to be good to one another. Happy 2011!!!!!
I love countdowns because they remind me of interesting things that happened during a given time. The best songs of the year, the biggest celebrity meltdowns, the best sports plays, they all lead to one thing, the end of an era.
As we end this year, I suppose very few of us can truly say we accomplished everything we set out to. Chances are, you belong to the "human" race and thus had your fill like the rest of us of "life". Life has a way of reminding us we aren't in charge sometimes. It's a great lesson to learn. I assume like most, you have had your ups and downs, your share of moments of pure bliss and joy and moments of absolute pain and sorrow.
I lost a cousin to suicide this past summer. A cousin I grew up with but as things go, one whom I hadn't stayed in touch with much as an adult. One of those, I left the fair city I grew up in as quickly as I could after high school; he stuck around, and we never really had much in common after that. I beat myself up for months after his death. I wasn't there for him. Maybe had I been in his life, he wouldn't have taken it. I always figured we would have more time. I just always expected at the right moment, we would get back into each others' lives and all would be ok. It wasn't. "Life" didn't give me that option and I had to content with all the things I "didn't" say. All the things I "didn't" do while I had a chance. Learned a real tough life lesson. One I hope sticks with me forever. I can tell you today I have more of my extended family close to me than I have in my adult life and am truly happy about it. I am finally saying all the I love you's I should have been saying all along.
I also lost my dog this year. I know this may sound silly but he was the first dog I ever lost. Most people with dogs have had them since they were kids and so their first loss came at a young age. I didn't experience it till I was 40 years old. It was heartbreaking to hold this animal who had welcomed me back from deployments to hell and back, business trips, 10 minutes away at the grocery story, like I was the most impressive human being on earth. To hold him in my arms and see his eyes look into mine with the trust they did as they put him to sleep is still something I think about daily. There are few bonds stronger than that of a person and their dog.
These are significant personal events in my life which made a huge difference in what I will remember about this year. While initially they sure as hell felt negative, as I move into 2011 I choose to find the silver lining. My cousin passing away reminded me the importance of family and I immediately reached out to people I hadn't spoken to in years. For the first time in my adult life, many of them are back in it and my life is so much more complete. My cousin passing also reminded me of the love I felt for him, the good times we had when we both had nothing, and I mean nothing, growing up. The laughs we shared, and the tears we cried in each others' arms are memories I will hold dear forever. My dog taught me what unconditional love was and reminded me how very thankful we need to be to have the love of those who choose to love us. He reminded me to appreciate every moment I have on this earth.
I don't know what 2011 has in store for me. None of us do. Chances are, it will be full of ups and downs just like every other year we've lived on this earth. But I assure you, you can make of it anything you want. See the beauty in things, appreciate the relationships you have, remember the ones you've lost with appreciation. Not everyone exists in our lives for a lifetime but the memories and the emotions associated with those memories, the good ones, those can't be taken away. They are a part of the fabric which makes you you. Let go of the negativity. Let go of the things which hurt. They only serve to poison your heart.
As we count down the good and bad of 2010, let us remember, if there is one goal we can guarantee ourselves success in, it's "choosing" to be happy. Happiness is a choice we make. Life will be more than happy to give us reasons not to be, but ultimately, we control only one person on this earth, ourselves. Choose to find the positive, choose to appreciate the little things, and choose to be good to one another. Happy 2011!!!!!
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