There's a big sort of overview, "What's-it-all-about-Alfie" post coming in January. But for now, let's just deal with what we've got right in front of us.
Sometimes, you have to make your own fun. And sometimes, you can piggy-back on a socially-accepted holiday observed by billions around the world. Path of least resistance, says I.
New Year's Eve is traditionally a time for looking back, taking stock, blah, blah, blah. But just because it's a cliche doesn't automatically mean it's a lousy idea.
Some highlights:
- Took my first meeting with a movie producer for something I'd written.
- Went to Disneyland with one of my best friends.
- Saw more great movies than in any other year of my life. Read some awesome books, too.
- Did NOT die starving in the streets, my corpse to be devoured by wolves. Or more regionally, coyotes.
The lowlights:
- Lost my job.
- Did NOT find a new job.
- Did NOT move to a bigger apt., or buy a car, or do any of the things I said I would before losing said job.
Um. Actually that's not so bad. I felt pretty negative when I started this post. But when I tried to spell it out and quantify my misery, I came up mostly empty, just really variations on the job theme.
Why? Because gratitude overrides misery. And the more I think about the good things I had, the more stuff occurs to me; a virtuous circle (seriously, I just remembered two of my friends had gorgeous babies this year, and another got a much-sought-after pregnancy. Awesome!). Just the act of thinking about what I'm grateful for pushes the negative stuff right into the bin. I'm serious, try it if you don't believe me.
Why? Because gratitude overrides misery. And the more I think about the good things I had, the more stuff occurs to me; a virtuous circle (seriously, I just remembered two of my friends had gorgeous babies this year, and another got a much-sought-after pregnancy. Awesome!). Just the act of thinking about what I'm grateful for pushes the negative stuff right into the bin. I'm serious, try it if you don't believe me.
Yeah, I lost my job. But so did a lot of other people. And I'm lucky. A year into unemployment, and we still have a roof over our heads, our health, and each other. We still live in a place where the sun shines almost every day. We're not in debt, my parents are still doing all right. Seriously, what am I bitching about?
So it's New Year's Eve, 2010. Look back. What are you bitching about? What are you grateful for?
Yes, gratitude counts, at least that's what some of my fav peeps tell me. Great start to a new year, girlfriend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Val! Let us all take a moment to be grateful that we have evaded the coyotes for another year ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not exactly sure how I didn't know about the new blog until recently (well, yes I do know: you tweeted about it...). But no, really, how did I not KNOW-know until a couple weeks ago? I like being able to catch up with you this way. And Disneyland last year was one of my highlights, too :)
ReplyDeleteI might be far, but I'll always be with you,
Tiff