Sayonara Aught 7...Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out!

This is a drag over from my other blog...in a late celebration of Chinese New Year's, I post it here.....

So, now that Christmas is over, everyone from Time Magazine to VH1 is doing their "Year in Review". Even being the history addict that I am, I usually do this as a glance over my shoulder and then start planning for the next year. This year, 2007, being what it was, probably deserves a bit more retrospection. Ok, fine. I'll sit down, Indian-style in my own little nook of my deepest being and really think about this year. I'll swish it around in my mouth and then spit it out like the cheap, nasty wine that it was.

More than any year of my life, I'm glad this one is almost over. It sucked, and it sucked bad. When I'm done reflecting, I'm going to stand up, brush off my hands briskly and close the door with a satisfying slam and a "Well, that's done. Moving on…"

I know it's not as easy as that, but it's good to at least have a plan.

I'm not going to go into specifics or turn out the lights for the "Highlights" reel to reel film. Instead, upon deep reflection, and a bit of perspective, I think the theme of this year is my best friend's Sicilian proverb: "Not all bad comes to do us harm." I'm going to take this time to blog and to make myself remember one of my own proverbs: "It's only a mistake if you didn't learn anything or grow from it."

Here are some of the lessons that I learned/relearned this year:


1. When your world is turned upside down and you're hanging off the edge by your fingertips, it's ok to get upset and cry about it, but take a deep breath and wait for the world to turn, because it always does and you'll be back on your feet soon enough. Don't make any plans until your feet are on the ground.

2. I'm a hell of a lot stronger than I ever thought I was.

3. Never say never about anything you would or wouldn't do until you are in that situation.

4. There is ALWAYS (at least more than) 2 sides to a story. Nothing is black and white. Some stories, like Kafka's "The Metamorphosis", I'm never going to fully understand no matter how hard I try. Not even with the Cliff Notes. I will some day learn to accept this.

5. Selfishness is the root of all evil and there are a lot of very selfish, destructive people in the world.

6. Blind faith sucks. But sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

7. Even when I'm mad as hell at God and declare a "friendship break" with Him, He's still present and still loves me.

8. "Patience gains all things." St. Teresa is right, but it's not one of my usual virtues.

9. Turning 30 wasn't THAT bad.

10. Never ever ignore intuition. Never talk yourself out of your gut feelings. You're spot on right, 9.75 times out of 10.

11. "Make new friends, but keep the old." We sang this song in Brownies when I was a little girl and it's great advice. I'm so thankful for my new friends acquaintences that turned into better friends and my dearest old friends. I leaned on them when they didn't even know it.

12. My daughter is the most intuitive, beautiful, precious and loving person I have ever known.

13. Estrogen is a beautiful thing. Surround yourself by strong, powerful, incredible women and banish the bitter, selfish, life-sucking bitches to the darkness, no matter how great "a friend" they supposedly were/are.

14. Handsome Hubby, Darling Daughter and I need more sunset picnics at Loose Park.

15. I finally have figured out how to deal with my family. Good for me. It's about damn time.

16. Art therapy is something both HH and I need. Art heals SO much. I started to write (on and off line) more creatively than I have in years. "Children of Eden" was a show that God wanted HH to do.

17. Don't forget to think and ACT outside the box. The surprising results can be quite good.

18. Use your head, but follow your heart. Let them fight it out for a while. Logic and passion are vital to good decision-making.

19. I don't need to forgive anybody until I'm damned good and ready. And I'm not ready to forgive some things yet. I'll just work towards it. It will happen. Also, I don't need to offer forgiveness to those who don't care if they have it.

20. I'm not my mother. Not at all. Thank God.

21. HH and I can have incredible conversations by not saying a thing, just holding each other's hand.

22. I'm damn good at both my jobs. I have had resounding success in both this year.
Remember to pat myself on the back once in awhile. It's ok to be proud, but don't be smug.

23. It truly is about not giving up.

24. Facebook and MySpace are clinically proven to be 25% more addictive than crack cocaine.

25. It's ok to go wild sometimes. I haven't done enough of that in recent years. Screw anybody who judges me badly for it. If you really know me, you know I really needed it.

26. I need more intelligent people to argue with me. I miss debating issues. It's ok to voice my opinions in a loud voice. If you judge me negatively, you're not really my friend.

27. I am a good mother. My worries were unfounded. We're doing great with her.

28. Laying my head on HH's chest and listening to his heartbeat when he's sleeping banishes the worst nightmares.

29. It's ok to be cautiously vulnerable to things that MIGHT hurt me.

30. I need a t-shirt that says, "I survived my Saturn's Return. It sucked and all I got is this lousy t-shirt"

31. Rediscovering my passions in life is an excellent choice.


There's other lessons. Maybe I'll add to this list later, but for now, this is good enough for sharing. Even years are usually good years in my life, so welcome '08. Hope you're worth the wait!