Well,
it’s
that time again. You know, when everyone who has access to the internet shares
their views on the year that is now closing. There will be pundits who go over
every little bit of political detritus so that they can show everyone how
politically astute they are. There will be others who will share with us all of
the tech milestones that we have passed. The latest smartphone or Alexa type
device will be hailed as the greatest development since the automatic bread
slicer. Others will write about entertainment or sports happenings. They will
want us to know who the movers and shakers of the industry were. And, they’ll
tell us about all of the folks who began 2018 but didn’t survive to ring it
out.
I’m
not going to do any of that. No, I’m going to keep it personal. Not that my
life this past year has been in any way newsworthy. It hasn’t. I am pretty
sure, though, that any one who reads this, (maybe both of you!), will be able
to relate. After all, none of us are entertainment or sports stars. We don’t
hang out in the halls of government. Nor do we own the World Wide Web. I think
that we’re all pretty much the same. Just regular folks trying to get by.
So, what happened…
Well, one thing that I don’t think that you can relate to is that as
of yesterday I have been sober for one year. “What?” you ask. “You had a
drinking problem?” Well, it depends on how you look at it. From where I was in
2017 I could say, “Problem? I drink, I get drunk, I fall asleep. See? No
problem.” The truth, though, is that I do have a problem. So, going all through
2018 without imbibing is a pretty big deal.
Perhaps as a result of the first thing, I spent more time on
personal fitness. After all, I’m getting to be an old fart. I already had one heart attack. I
seriously don’t want a repeat of that. In fact, during June and July I averaged
nearly 100 miles walking. I completed the equivalent of a half marathon twice.
I slowed down a bit during August and September because of weather. Plus, I had
other activities that helped keep me fit. I hope to continue working at this in
2019.
I spent more time writing in 2018 than in previous years. Some
of you are aware that I completed NaNoWriMo in November. 50,000+ words in just
under 30 days. I also completed that novel by the second week of December. And,
I just started a second a couple days ago. Although, I’m under no time
constraints with this one. Maybe, by spring I’ll have a first draft. I also
decided to pick up the pace here a bit. Whether anyone reads these posts or
not, I have continued to write and share. Hopefully, that’ll continue into the
new year.
One of the more obscure things that I did was to confirm with a
financial advisor that I will, in fact, be able to retire before I reach 70.
That was welcome news. Although,that won’t become a reality until 2020, it is
something to look forward to. I will never truly retire and become a snow bird
traveling between the North and Florida. But, I will no longer be working for
someone else.
The biggest accomplishment, though, is the fact that I made it
through another year alive and fairly well. It has required an effort to
accomplish this. The stuff I wrote above played a large part in making it. I am
grateful to those who have had my back during this year, and previous ones.
And, I’m
learning how to let gratitude continue to grow.
Yeah, 2018 had some rough moments. But, overall I think that it
lived well. Soon, that old guy, Father Time, will swing his sickle and all of
those past moments will be reaped and stored into the barns of Eternity. From
there we can access them, process the grain, and the memories can then sustain
us as week walk into the unknown of 2019.
Blessings to you!
