My Reflections on 2009 (and preview of 2010)

2009 is at it's end. Another year has passed me by. But this year was different. This year, I started living again.

My friends who have kept in touch over the years, or have gotten back in touch after a long absence, know my story.After high school, I got married, had two sons,and got divorced in 2005. I refer to the years from 1993-2008 as my "coma" years;I wandered through life unconscious of my surroundings. It took a speeding ticket in 2008 to change the path my life was heading down.

Life, in it's very form, is like a flow chart. When you encounter a situation that requires a decision, your choice will alter the possible consequences. Kierkegaard said to choose one thing or another, either way you will have regrets. So true, as I have discovered.

The speeding ticket was quite expensive, so I chose to go to court. This gave me time to save up for the fine. In court, I actually did real well. I ended up with a bunch of unexpected spending money in my pocket, and, as luck would have it, I needed a new cell phone. The phone I purchased literally changed my life going forward.

You see, it was on this phone I started my Facebook account. In short time, I found myself reconnected with some great people from my past. It was this contact that started me thinking about all the bad choices I had made, and my lack of action in improving my life. Basically, it was the kick in the ass I so badly needed.

I started reading again. I started paying attention to current events again. I started wanting to learn again. I started wondering how I could become a better person. I started by changing some lifestyle habits to help improve my health. I enrolled in college online. I started this very blog. I started becoming more socially active. My circle of friends expanded. I started writing music again. I even experimented with a little poetry. For the first time in many years, I was living life, instead of watching it pass me by.

2010 looks like it could be a fantastic year for me. I know there will be some hurdles, but they wouldn't call them hurdles if you couldn't get over them. I am hoping to reconnect to even more friends this coming year. I find great benefits from being in touch with my old friends. I find laughter. I find encouragement. I find different perspectives on things. I find joy. I find comfort. I guess you could say that I have found contentment, and most importantly, I have found love.

I guess, after all is said and done, 2009 will be remembered as the year of my personal renaissance.

I hope your 2009 was as good as mine, and I hope 2010 exceeds your hopes and dreams.

Take care my friends.