Thoughts on the New Year

At the turn of each new year, most of us have some degree of expectations, hopes, and resolutions for the year ahead. Now that 2011 is past history, I find myself forming expectations and impressions of the new year and comparing to previous years. For 2012, I didn't specifically look forward to new beginnings as 2011 wound down, but one week in, I do feel an overall sense of optimism that the year truly holds great new beginnings and opportunities for personal growth and achievements in my activities and areas of interest. The funny thing about it is that my upbeat outlook, while heartfelt and genuine, was "kick-started" by media and early reports on NPR, Twitter, Facebook, etc., of similar optimism by a lot of other folk, some whom I know and many that I do not.  It occurred to me that 2011 started out with a lot of big problems, the economy lagging, two wars that were dragging on, and in spite of a lot of things to be thankful for and optimistic about, there was a cloud that obscured any sunny optimism as 2011 rolled in. It occurs to me that there is a lot to look forward to and to feel good about, and that maybe 2011 was kind of a "hangover" year from the first decade of the 21st century. The "00's" weren't all bad, but 9/11 kind of set the tone early on and two steep recessions certainly affected many of us in very adverse ways. Thinking back further, I remember that 1999 held a mixed bag of emotions for the turn of the century. What would have been an otherwise great anticipation was seriously jumbled with the whole Y2K fears and uncertainty. Reflecting back on the last decade, I have rolled with the changes and taken a lot of steps to be better prepared for the unexpected, and now I am truly looking forward to what is to come. Work, family, community activities, and hobbies are all clicking along productively and harmoniously. Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty have been replaced by harmony, peace, balance, and a real sense of community and confidence.  I look forward to the best year ever and hope to deepen relationships as the year progresses. I hope to hear from you all and look forward to sharing experiences to come.