As 2011 yields to 2012...

It's that time of the year again! Time to reconcile with hauntings of the past, and to make resolutions for a better future. Unfortunately, in most cases, it seems these resolutions do not normally even make it halfway to the end of January, for far too many of us.

Now, 2011 was not my best year, personally. There were a number of disappointments, some relatively big, and some fairly small and insignificant. Yet, I can feel blessed that no real tragedies touched my life during this year, and for that, I am certainly thankful.

It was not all bad, and there were certainly some good memories that I will also try to remember this year for.

However, I will admit to not being particularly sad to see this year go. Sure, there were ups, but it seemed to me that the downs were what were most prevalent. I hope to see, and help create, a better year in 2012 than I experienced personally in 2011.

As 2011 yields to 2012, I am trying to keep a healthy perspective on things, and to remain thankful for all that I have been blessed with in life. There are a lot of things to be thankful for, and the list would be too exhausting and cumbersome for anyone else but me to read and appreciate, although making such a list would probably not harm anyone, either.

So, I will sum up my thoughts simply by saying I am thankful for those things that I have been blessed with in life. I am thankful for my beautiful son, who remains my moral compass and my great hope for the future! I am also thankful for being in relatively decent health (at least, to my knowledge as of my writing this), as well as to having some wonderful people around me who have helped to add meaning and happiness and enrichment to this venture. I am thankful for my keen intellect and curiosity, which allows me to se value in things that most people do not, or at least largely ignore. Not least of all, I am thankful for the ability to recognize all of these things that I am now thankful for, as well.

So, I bid the year 2011 adieu. I had high expectations coming in, and now find myself just mostly trying to recover from the disappointment of not seeing those lofty expectations satisfied coming out. Limping to the finish line, if you will. Yet, it has taught me to keep a more open, though somewhat guarded mind, for the upcoming year, as well as in the future. 2011 was nothing if not an opportunity to learn more lessons in life, and I am getting to be a better student as I grow older. I look forward to the excitement of seeing in the new year of 2012, and of opportunities that I will hope to be wise enough to take advantage of.

Here is wishing the very best and happiest of New Year's wishes to anyone and everyone reading this, as well as those who never will!