Happy New Year (2012)

Posted on 1 January 2012

September always feels like the real beginning of a new year to me. There’s an obvious divide between seasons, plus going to school of some form for 18 years has imprinted the idea on me in a way I don’t think I’ll ever shake. But January is always the place where I take stock– not just because it is the ACTUAL new year, but because it means my birthday is soon, as well. The world is another year older, and so am I.
In a lot of ways, 2011 has been an anomaly. For just about every year of my adult or semi-adult life, there has been some major change. Starting university, starting a new semester, starting new jobs, travelling someplace new, buying a house– at least one of those things every year since 2003. 2011 had none. I lived in the same house, marking the longest stretch of time I’ve gone without moving in five years. I didn’t change jobs, meaning I’ve extended the longest I’ve ever gone without getting a new employer. I got married, yes, but I did that on a weekend where we still got up in the same house and went to bed in the same house. Not really a big change.
And that isn’t a bad thing. This has been a year of solidifying things. Seeing old friends get married, move into careers, get pregnant. Feeling more confident in my skills in radio, growing and developing into something a little (very little) beyond a complete amateur. Not doing any major renovations or repairs to the house, just making little changes here and there to make it more comfortable. Even travel was to familiar places, and more limited than normal.
But even in a year without as many Big Events as might be normal, it’s felt big. There are events that I will be able to pinpoint as being in 2011. There certainly hasn’t been too much downtime between this thing and that thing. If anything, I’m hoping 2012 will be even more uneventful. It’s nice to just sort of know what’s going to happen next– where you’ll be next month, what you’ll be doing on Wednesday night. And I’m learning that as time goes on, what’s important is less the big events and more the little ones. The regular happenings and routines and people that make up the daily flow of your life, not just the major milestones. If you can get that right, then you’re doing just fine.
Happy 2012.

Filed under: personal

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