Welcome, Welcome 2011

41º ~ soggy, gray, weak sun trying hard over my left shoulder, more rain to come

1/1/11
I love the evenness of this date and remember learning subtraction sometime around the third grade and having to figure out how old we would be in the 2000's by subtracting our birth year.  2011 was easy for me, as I'll be turning 40 in just a few days.  While some of my friends remain a bit incredulous when I say the following, it is true: I am embracing my 40's and celebrating a new decade with much joy!  Finally, finally, I love my life and I feel comfortable in my own skin & body, just as I am!

I don't tend to be a person who makes resolutions, although I've tried half-heartedly in the past.  The truth is, I'm a self-critical person all year round, so why heap on a bunch more "I need to do betters" on this one particular day.  Another truth is that I'm learning to be softer with myself, to celebrate myself (with pardons to WW), and my idea of resolutions tend to be as criticism rather than celebrations, so I'll skip them again this year.

I do think it is important to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next.  Having a birthday so close to the new year makes this even more resonant.  2010 was filled with both highs and lows, as the years tend to be. 

Some lows:  the back injury of May 2010, the double sinus infection of June & July 2010, the Cubs' 2010 season, my dad's continuing struggle with Parkinson's disease, non-acceptance of the manuscript (sigh!), Razorback losses to Auburn and Alabama (double sigh!), missing the lunar eclipse of the full moon due to cloudy skies.

Some highs:  great poetry acceptances, making poetry collage cards, revising the manuscript to a stronger state, blogging & Facebooking which lead to more friends!, spending a week in Jamaica with C & friends, paying off my car, welcoming my great-nephew into the world, spending a weekend in St. Louis with my mom, Xmas in July with the Iowa side of the family, watching the Cubs win in Chicago with C & friends!, AWP in Denver!, boating on Lake Ouachita with C & friends!

Tensing Pen swimming hole, Negril, Jamaica

 Turns out there were probably a lot more highs than lows this past year, and that's really the best kind of year.  I still remember one scene from Chicago Hope, a medical TV drama that debuted the same year as ER and starred Mandy Patinkin, among others.  The two lead male actors were sharing a drink after a particularly hard day (I'm sure the patient died but don't remember the particulars).  One of the men said to the other:  "More good days than bad, remember that."  It might be hokey, but I remember that scene when I've had a bad day; I remember that in this life I'm blessed to be living, I usually end up with more good days than bad, and that's a pretty good way to live.

May your 2011 be filled with more good days than bad, more highs than lows, and more celebration than mourning.