So much to be thankful for (or, 2010 in review…)

Friday, December 31, 2010 by Marianne 3 Comments

The holiday season has always been one of my favorite times of year; there are so many things I love about it: the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s are time to be grateful for what you have, acknowledge the darkness and welcome the return of the light, give and receive gifts of the material and non-material sort, and reflect on the year that is almost over and look towards the one ahead.  I also love the food and special treats that this time of year brings; the time that is spent with loved ones; the carols;  and the fact that I can put lights, glitter and other sparkly things on everything.

As the season comes to a close, I like to reflect on what the past year has brought: 2008 was a big year of change, 2009 was a gift of a gap-year that allowed me to indulge and focus on myself, and 2010 has been a year where I have taken the lessons of 2008 and 2009 and put me in a place where I am really excited for what 2011 will bring (although, to be honest, I feel that way pretty much every year 🙂 )

Some of the most memorable changes on 2010 involved animals.  After 16 years Sebb passed away.  He and Regg were my first two “adult” pets and they saw me through so many life changes.  With the passing of Sebb, I feel like a chapter (a long chapter) of my life has ended and I still think about and miss him (and Regg) every day.

Losing Sebb also affected me on a very practical level as well.  The last two years of his life we spent with feline diabetes which meant that Gist or I had to be home at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm in order to feed Sebb and give him his insulin shot.  Not having that responsibility was a huge life change – we were able to do things like go out to dinner, go to the movies, and go away for the weekend without having to worry about Sebb.  Sleeping later than 6:45 am also became a possibility.

After four months without a pet, the first time in my life that I had lived without an animal, Simon came into our life.  Simon is totally awesome and totally crazy.  It has been so much fun (and a bit challenging) to adjust to life with an adorable, totally wacko, high-energy, loud, and loving dog.  Having Simon has forced me to do things that I’ve always wanted to be doing but never did and I am so grateful to him for that.  Since he’s joined our family, Simon and I have spent countless hours walking (and now that there is snow, snowshoeing) in the state forest and those hours have been a real highlight of this year.  Simon has also gotten Gist out and walking and being able to walk together has been a real treat.

2010 has also brought other exciting and joyful events: births, weddings, professional successes; and events that are quieter but also full of joy, the things that make up a good life and soothe the soul: wonderful times spent with family, friends and loved ones; quiet time by myself to reflect (oh, how I love my alone-time!); getting to go to Maine, the Quiet Corner, the Cape, and other places with some of my favorite people, time spent on my bicycle or walking in the woods;  sharing good food, drinks and laughs; and the ability to love and be loved in return by so many wonderful people.

2010 has been an interesting year, one where plans were made and plots were initiated.  Many of those plans and plots will come to fruition in 2011, and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings!

I wish for you a happy, healthy and wonderful new year! Goodbye 2010, hello 2011!

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P.S. Now I am not usually ever a new year’s resolution person but I am trying something resolutionish in January 2011.  I signed up for Health Month, a site that lets you set wellness goals for yourself.  I was drawn to Health Month because the goals are wellness related (things like relax more, read more, turn off the computer, in addition to the traditional eat less and exercise more) and it is structured as a game, and I may be a bit *ahem* competitive and easily motivated by sticker-charts and the like.  I also love that the site focuses equally on “do” rules because I find it much more motivating to do positive things than to limit myself.  I am Mariannika there as well, participating on Team Crafty; feel free to follow along and/or set some goals of your own.

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