Here we are, welcoming in another new year. Which is, quite frankly, a big relief. Because, chances are, this new year will be better than last year. If not, please allow me to enter a coma. Right now.
2010 was The Year of Big Suck.
I know I whine, and I know things could have been worse. (Believe me, I’ve imagined ways in which things could have been worse.) But let’s face it, this has been a Really Bad Year™ for my family. It wasn’t All Bad, certainly, but the ratio of Good to Bad was dramatically lower than in most years. Especially given the size of the Bad. When a loved one in the family has cancer, it is hard to imagine the size of the Good to offset it. When that loved one is a small child, even daily deliveries of home-baked cookies, fuzzy puppies, and attractive massage therapists would barely provide a distraction. And not only did I not get any such deliveries, the year instead delivered international catastrophes as well as other more localized family- related, friend-related and personal woes.
I’m not a big one for New Year’s resolutions, but I have often enjoyed looking back in nostalgia at the events of the previous year. “Nostalgia” is not quite the right word the way I feel about this past year. In addition to the aforementioned Bad Stuff, I remember being sick. A lot. I was sick something like 9 times in the first few months of the year, and then got a severe case of poison ivy that lasted for weeks. And while I haven’t really wanted to mention it here, I’ve been feeling pretty awful, as in physically unwell, for a while. Like probably 2 years. I had attributed a lot of that to lack of sleep, but then even once I started getting sleep, I still haven’t felt well. There’s certainly been a lot of worry, and so I thought that (and the ensuing stress-related dietary tendencies) was to blame. But things have been ongoing in spite of various adjustments. (I finally got around to making an appointment to start to address the problem.)
I finally decided to make a push to make progress with my degree, but due to complications of life, health and family, the progress (while not imperceptible) was slower than I’d hoped. The year ended up on a disappointing note after I gave up on a deadline I’d been pushing for.
2010 wasn’t all bad, certainly, and maybe I’ll try to write about its better moments. But not today. Today I’m still holding a grudge.
I am optimistic that 2011 will be a better year. My nephew has finished his treatments, and hopefully he will recover soon from the treatments and the complications so that he can get back to the important business of being a little kid. I am hopeful that I can get my own health in order, and can speed up my own progress with my degree. It looks like this year will involve potentially a lot of travel, and that’s a good thing in my book. In addition to some trips for family-related things (I’m heading to California in a few days!), I am hoping to go to at least one conference in some exciting place. Maybe even Hong Kong.
So, welcome, 2011! I look forward to seeing what you can do.
With 2010 coming to an end, things are looking up for 2011…
…unless this guy is right. In which case things are just coming to an end in 2011.
collecting tokens 
Hi Alejna —
Sorry about your bad 2010. Definitely hope 2011 will be a better year for you and your loved ones. *And* hope that we’ll get to meet up in Hong Kong later this year. :)
Here’s to a fab 2011!
Wishing you an abundance of blessings!
I think you have definitely earned the right to whine a little about your year. I wish you a dramatically improved 2011. And if it’s not, then maybe the guy with the sign will be right and at least it will be dramatically SHORTER than the previous year of Big Suckitude!
there is a billboard near me that also proclaims the end as May 21, and I’m so, so baffled by it. I’ve considered checking out the website, just to see exactly which scriptures they’re using to proof text, but can’t bring myself to do it.
my 2010 was hard, but not nearly as bad as yours. one nice thing about the beginning of a new year is that we are able to think about it as a fresh start, a new chance. The truth, of course, is that we can do that each day, but years provide a nice, tidy time frame.
I’m not a resolution maker, but starting now I’m making a concerted effort to bring more fun and joy in my life. I started by eliminating some stress bringers, therefore giving me more room for joy!
Here’s to 2011! It’s going to be a good year for you! Or I promise to give you a fuzzy puppy. Will Higgins do? :)
I’m sorry to learn you have been feeling unwell. I really do hope you gain your strength soon. I’m happy to provide moral support. Often life puts things in our path that are extremely difficult to overcome. I can just hear my blessed grandmother saying, “This too shall pass.” I hope in 2011 you catch plenty of ZZZs. It sucks not to sleep! Take care friend!
I really hope 2011 is full of good things for you and your family!!
I’m sorry you’ve been sick! Is your doctor going to run labs? I hope he or she can get to the bottom of it and help you feel fully functional again. It is hard to get things done when you aren’t at your best.
a wonderful new year to you, my friend.
Hear, hear to all that… I hope 2011 is a year of great things and great health! xo