A lot has happened in 2010, Sarah and I pretty much had our whole lives turned upside down. Life as we knew it had been completely changed in an instant. If the past year were a book it would be called "2010: The Year That Sucked." I never would have expected 2010 to start off the way it did. That was supposed to be our year, full of promise and hope. But it's weird how life works out. You never fully get what you expect and things don't always turn out like you planned. What matters is how you handle what life gives you.
And now, 2010 comes to a close. It was tough. It was a battle. We faced challenges that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. As I reflect on how it all unfolded and how I responded, I like to think I did well. There were times when I just wanted to curl into a ball and cry on my living room floor (and there were times I actually did that). There were times when I thought that if I hoped and tried real hard that I would wake up and it would all be a bad dream. But that's not real world thinking. In the real world there is no do over. No reset button. It would be nice if there was though. We'd reset 2010 and get some magically happy outcome, a complete 180 from the 2010 we know. But like I said, life doesn't work out that way.
Sarah and I are ringing in the new year the same way we have for many years now and that's in the comforts of our own home. We stay in, enjoy a nice dinner we cooked together, lounge around in our pajamas and are generally in bed shortly after midnight. It may be a silly tradition, but it's our silly tradition and I wouldn't have it any other way.
With each new year comes new beginning. A fresh start, where you can wipe the slate clean -- put the old year behind you and begin anew. What's done is done and everyone looks forward to the new year with a fresh faced new hope. A hope of things to come and, if the cards are right, a promise of better days.
That's what's great about New Year's Eve. We flip the calendar and look forward to what is in store. And with that change comes a certain awkwardness. We clumsily fumble through those first few days and weeks getting used to putting that new year on our checks and forms. We wish our family, friends and random strangers a "happy new year" in the days leading up to and thereafter the new year and then wonder when we stop saying it (mid-January?). Some of us nurse nasty hangovers which span well into January 2nd and beyond. Yes, the change has different effects on everybody.
Another tradition many people have are New Year's resolutions; silly promises one makes to improve or otherwise change who they are. Maybe its to lose weight or exercise more. Maybe its to give up smoking. Maybe its to spend less money on luxury items or to save for that vacation. Maybe its to finally pay off debt. Maybe its to be more charitable. Maybe its to call a loved one more often. But how many of us really mean it? I mean really, really mean it? Sure, most of these promises are nice, but they're just that...promises. How often do we keep these promises? Most of these resolutions will be broken with in the first 30 days. Fewer make it past 6 months. The real sticklers make full life style changes.
So what's my New Year's resolution? It can be pared down to a simple two word motto: BE RELENTLESS. It's that same core belief that Sarah and I have had since this was all thrust upon us.
I will stay that way, no matter what I am faced with. No matter what challenges lie ahead. And that's the takeaway from this past year. 2010 has taught me a lot. It's taught me the value of friendship and family. Its taught me to never give up, no matter what the odds are. I've learned that I can rely on certain people and not others. I've learned that life doesn't always work out the way you think it will. And I've learned that inside my wife, the girl I call Beanz, lies the heart of a warrior.
So here's to 2011. May it bring us -- all of us -- a lifetime of health, wealth and new beginnings.
Happy New Year and as always: BE RELENTLESS.
