Good grief. Two months since I made my last posting. I didn't realize it had been so long!! Time really does have a way of getting away from us. That was even more evident at 3:00 this morning, after just celebrating yet another New Year. For a moment last night, I thought, "Didn't we just do this??" Each passing year seems to move more quickly. A year was such a long time in my youth. Every 365-day countdown to my next birthday, Christmas, or New Year's was endless. The thought of "a whole 'nother year" was like climbing Mt. Everest. There was no way I could wait that long for anything! Now, at 30 years old, a year has become a brief moment. The time that seemed so unbelievably long in my childhood now exists much the same as an apparition - it's there, then it's gone, and you're left wondering if you ever really saw it at all.
Sitting here at my computer, I've been contemplating the vision that was 2010. So much to experience, in just the blink of an eye. Another chapter has been added to the story of my life, and a full one at that. Each year teaches us new lessons, but I can't say any other year has taught me as much as this one. I was listening to a friend's music show last night, and one of the members in the chat room posed the question: What did you learn in 2010? It was quite a loaded question, and while I provided a brief answer, I spent the rest of the show thinking about it and knowing that I couldn't possibly summarize 2010 in a simple, one-sentence response. Trying to do so would be like writing a one-page book report on War and Peace. (As a side note, I would NOT recommend reading that book.) Since I enjoy writing so much, I figured the best way for me to understand what happened this past year is to make a list. Not a list of actual events, mind you, but rather a list of what I learned.
1. People are who they are, and any attempt to change them is a worthless endeavor.
2. True friendships don't fulfill your wants; they fulfill your needs.
3. Proclaiming one's strengths takes far less courage than admitting one's weaknesses.
4. You can't set the expectations for your own life in terms of another person's life.
5. You'll never make everyone else happy, despite your greatest efforts.
6. It's okay to put yourself first.
7. Your job is never worth your health.
8. God DOES give you more than you can handle, but He also gives you friends to help carry the load.
9. Life really IS black and white. Dealing in "grays" is just a way to avoid searching for the real answer.
10. The only problem with humanity is humans.
11. Politicians are like professional sports players - overpaid and underperforming.
12. Others' actions are out of our control; our reactions are completely under our control.
13. Cats really are amazing pets.
14. I don't always like myself, but I do always love myself.
15. Telling someone you love them, or hearing them say they love you (even as just a friend), can sometimes be the best thing you or they will ever hear.
16. Forrest Gump's mother was perhaps the wisest woman that ever lived.
17. Self-respect is emotionally priceless. Self-loathing is emotionally expensive.
18. You're never really over the loss of a loved one until you actually tell them "goodbye".
19. Sometimes, you just need to shut up take your medication.
20. Yes, men do cry, and if it bothers someone - tough.
21. Movie critics are the worst people to listen to when deciding which movie to watch.
22. I.Q. is a pointless measurement. People with high I.Q's can be some of the most idiotic people on the planet.
23. "Just" one more never happens when you're an addict.
24. Chiropractors are the best doctors that have ever existed.
25. Sometimes the person you trust the most in your life will be the first one to betray you.
26. You should ALWAYS have a friend who is a mechanic.
And perhaps the most important:
27. I'm allowed to not be perfect.
Quite a list, wouldn't you say? Some of these may seem pretty obvious to anyone who chooses to read them, and perhaps they are, but I'm a stubborn man, and I think it took the events of 2010 to finally drill each one of them into my head. I hope that 2011 can teach me just as much, though I also hope it can do so a little less harshly.
Happy New Year!
