Happy New Year

Happy New Year.

I always spend the last few days of the year pondering how to make the new year a better year. I make plans to eat better, exercise more, etc, etc. Last year, I did ok on the exercise. I got in more running and actually ran in 3 5K races with friends and family. I would love to do more of that in 2010 (note to self -- find some time to run). Eating better - well, I stress eat, and 2009 was very stressful.

2009 started with me realizing that the school where I thought I would teach wasn't going to have a position open for me. I spent the first eight months of 2009 thinking that the hardest four years of my life -- working full time as a long-term substitute teacher while taking classes for a teaching certificate and MA degree, and still doing my "mommy work" -- were for nothing as teachers were laid-off instead of hired. Then I spent the final 4 months wondering if I was doing a good enough job to survive the teacher lay-offs they keep promising are coming again this year. When I was working as an executive secretary, I never, ever worried that I would be let go if I was less than miraculously perfect. I was there and I did my job, and that was all that was required.

We bought 3 cars in 2009 -- we have NEVER bought more than 1 car at a time, and usually we buy cars every decade or so. We had bad car-kharma in 2009.

But -- we did not have any significant illnesses. We didn't lose any family members or beloved pets in 2009. 2009 wasn't so bad after all.

I spent yesterday adding old pictures to my new computer. My husband takes many, many pictures. He is the go-to man when you need any event recorded. He averages over 1,000 pictures a year. They are wonderful pictures. The problem with all these pictures is that you see how very fast time flies by. It seems like only a few days pass, and then it is a new year again. The children grow up and change. The adults grow older and change. We don't see it happening day to day, but pictures don't lie.

So I suppose my major goal for 2010 will be to enjoy the days as they pass by, knowing that before we even know it, a new year will be here all over again.