2009 was good, bad and ugly. It was life. It was death. It was exhilarating and exhausting. In two days, we can close the books on 2009 and I, for one, am glad.
It's interesting that we have this innate wiring that renders us unwaveringly hopeful for all the possibilities that lie in the promise of a new year. We vow to eat better, exercise more, drink less, find a better job, find "the one", write that book, be kinder to one another, volunteer at a charity, finish that remodeling job, quit smoking, blobbity blah, blah, blah.
It's good, I suppose that we set goals for ourselves and that we raise the standards by which we live our lives. But it also sets a daunting tone and, of course, we inevitably set ourselves up for failure. One slip up at the top of the new year leads to an avalanche of poor decisions, bad behaviors and, by the end of the year - well, you know the routine.
Maybe we should instead resolve to be slovenly, over-indulgent, selfish, rude, chain-smoking alcoholics with sex, gambling and chocolate addictions.
Then again, maybe not.
Ah, well. I'll make the same resolution I've made each year since 1992 - to drink more water and let the rest work itself out.
Speaking of milestones... "Venus" turns two today. When I started this blog, I had an idea of what I wanted it to be but I wasn't sure how it would develop. It's morphed into something a bit more tangential than I thought it would, but I'm okay with that for the most part. I've pretty much cracked myself open here and exposed some very personal aspects of my life. At the same time, I've come to learn some retraint and, as a result, have had some incredibly Zen moments (whether I wanted them or not).
While it's easy to share the happy and positive goings-on, there've been many occasions in which I've wanted unleash an unholy fury of hell. But I didn't. Or, if I did, I removed it because negative energy fuels negative energy and we all know that nothing good can come of that nonsense. It's really just not ever worth the stress a body endures to get all worked up about something.
Stress is bad. Stress kills.
I believe there's a good deal of social responsibility to this whole business of blogging. Even if there are no monetary rewards attached and I'm beholden to no one, I still feel compelled to present my thoughts in a particular manner and at a certain level of writing (i.e. acceptable grammar, accurate fact-checking, limited use of profanities, etc.). I'm sure I've made lots of mistakes, but the past is the past and I'm not wont to go back and dwell. Instead, I just try to do better the next time.
Anyhoo...
Here's to peace, love, and just being cool; may you discover wonderful new things about yourself in the coming year and may you find the courage to share and celebrate those wonderful things with those whom you care most about.
Bonne année à tous!