The New Year

How it got to be mid-December I have no idea. But when this time of year rolls around, I can't help but think about New Year's Eve. Normally I don't celebrate New Year's Eve. I hole up and try not to think about it. I usually see the new year as nothing more than an extension of the past year with nothing to be excited about.

Last night I was at a Meetup event and the group is planning a New Year's Eve celebration. I mentioned my general hatred for New Year's and one of the members offered a different perspective. He blathered on for a minute, but the point of his rambling was to note that if nothing else, you can acknowledge the passage of time.

I rarely occasionally respect what he has to say, so I gave it some thought. I've decided that I will celebrate this year, for two reasons.

First, in a lot of ways, 2011 really sucked. And I don't mean a little. It sucked like a whore on Valentine's Day. I hit the trifecta of awful - abusive relationship, back surgery, and stress at work.

But, I made it through all of that. I learned a lot about myself and relationships, I'm much healthier than I was last year, and I've taken a leap and left my job without actually having one lined up. It was a year of scary lows, but also great highs.

Second, next year is going to be very different than this year. As I mentioned above, I gave notice at my current job. I've been interviewing with a company for a while, with a final interview next week. The job would challenge me and help me grow professionally. In a lot of ways, I think it's like my dream job.

If I don't get an offer, I'll be packing up and heading back to Florida. While I don't love the idea of living in Florida (and the oppressive heat and humidity, not to mention the creepy crawlies), being closer to my family will be mostly nice (I hope). Three of my cousins are getting married in May and June and I'd like to make those weddings without spending 48 hours and $1500 on plane trips to do it. No matter which way things go, I see it as a win/win for me. Win/win situations are rare, but they're nice.

So, in celebration of surviving some awful shit and moving on to new things, on December 31st, I'll be partying like it's 1999. (And yes, I realize this is 2011, but we all know I'm not cool enough to celebrate anything newer than 1999.)

May the best of your todays be the worst of your tomorrows.