Suck It, 2008
Christmas is over. No more giddy suspense over what Santa's going to bring. Oh, darn.
My Christmas was enjoyable, but at the same time, it was just another day in this shithole of a year but with the added stress of meeting high expectations. Well, fuck Christmas. Yeah, I said it. This year sucks, and the only thing to look forward to is a new one.
A reader/friend commented on my last post, asking if I was on strike. Well, yeah, I guess I was. On strike against life and against the perpetual mountain of shit that is 2008.
I checked out for a while and took a virtual vacation. Lack of sunlight and the drab scenery outside added to my lack of interest in ... anything. No wonder the suicide rate goes up this time of year. Depressed yet? Good. Because here's the good news: the promise of a new beginning is real.
Okay, there's no guarantee for tomorrow, but assuming you live through it, a new year is a real chance to start over. It's not just another holiday -- it's an opportunity to reinvent yourself.
We all know the cliche of broken resolutions, but January 1st is a time to reflect and introspect and to give yourself the life you want.
For the love of God, don't make an overwhelming list of things you know you won't stick to. Keep it realistic. You'll get a lot more satisfaction and fulfillment if you choose one thing to work on.
Last year, my resolution was to be a better listener. I used to be a lot quieter, and in recent years, certain social circles required unnecessary spewing of witicisms in order to hold my own. But I've come around to thinking I liked myself better when I wasn't so witty, so I resolved to listen more and talk less.
Everyone always needs an ear. Listening is the cornerstone of friendship. I did improve, and I'm continuing this resolution because it's a valuable quality that just can't be beat.
It's always good to consider what can be learned from negative experiences, and I've been thinking about what I learned this year.
2008 got off to a horrible start. I lost a best friend, and I almost lost my dog. I told off a family member and am still working things out. I lost work and money. But what did I gain?
I gained friendships and wisdom. I learned that I can conquer my biggest fear in honor of a friend's life. I gained the respect of family members and the reassurance that dogs serve an important purpose. I developed new interests and talents and gained some appreciation for them. And I learned that it really doesn't pay to have some frat boy slacker in the White House.
I learned that there are a lot more good people in the world than I thought, and I learned that you can become someone new every day. However, you can't get drunk every night, toasting to a new beginning. But you can do it, acceptably, once a year.
You can do it, and you can mean it because they have this revolution of the earth thing down to a science. That's what your calendar's based on, after all. It's not just a made-up milestone. As sure as the earth rotates every 24 hours, creating the phenomenon of night and day, it revolves around the sun every 365 days. So get the champagne ready 'cause here we go again.
And here are some instructions on how to impress party guests, opening that champage: http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Champagne-Bottle-with-a-Sword
