In thinking “I should write an end of year/beginning of year” post, I looked back in my draft posts and found one that I’d started at the beginning of 2009.
Though I never posted it, I’ll include it here because it’s a good snapshot of where I was a year ago today:
This weekend has had me feeling a bit introspective; I suppose that’s perfectly normal for the start of a new year. It’s had me looking back on 2008, and forward to 2009.
2008 was really a hell of an eventful year. It started off with me home from a boogie, sick and cranky, and ended with me at a boogie, healthy and happy. Of course, it’s hard to control when we get those nasty little colds, but the timing couldn’t have been worse for the one I had to end 2007 as it made the start of the new year pretty dull. Not long after that I got a full-blown case of strep throat, which I don’t think I’d had since college. But all in all, save for a few colds and the few months of PT following a minor shoulder injury in June, 2008 was a pretty healthy year, and for that I am always grateful, though I admit like many I take it for granted.
Between getting laid off, making the (very large) decision to move to California, and the stress of actually making that happen, then actually being here, 2008 was probably one of my most strained in recent memory. I had a lot of meltdowns, and a lot of moments of wondering what the future would/could/should bring. While I certainly haven’t got all the loose ends tied up (there’s still the matter of that house of mine in Seattle), I feel much more settled now than I did in the middle part of the year.
It’s funny to look at the things I talked about because though I feel like the beginning of 2010 is very different from the beginning of 2009, some things remain the same:
1) That damned shoulder! I hurt it again in April 2009 and did (still more) PT on it. The last couple months it’s been pretty cooperative, but I’m pretty sure it’ll never be 100% and will probably always be more susceptible to injury.
2) Ending the year with a nasty little cold. Yep, I ended 2009 the same way I ended 2007 – congested! Fortunately the timing of my boogie attendance this time was such that I was able to fully enjoy the experience before I got sick.
Other than those two things, 2008 and 2009 were pretty different years. Sure some of the days, moods, funks, and feelings were the same, but overall, I definitely preferred 2009. It was (generally) more healthy, more energetic, more happy, more satisfying. I’ve had some minor fits and starts lately but in general it’s felt really great to be focused on my health so much this year. I like that I enjoy working out now (though not right now while I can barely breathe, of course).
I set some unofficial resolutions last year; the “easy” one was to floss regularly. For someone who was never able to get in the habit, I consider actually achieving this one to be a big deal. My dental checkup mid-year was a great one; hoping for an equally positive one when I see my dentist next week. I have fabulous dental benefits and I hope to only have to use them for checkups this year!
The other “hard” one was to make fitness and health improvements. I didn’t know exactly how it would all play out – I didn’t pick a diet plan or plan a major change, I just got a trainer. At first, that was about the only working out I did, maybe some additional walking. Eventually I switched from 2x/week (longer sessions) to 3x/week (shorter sessions) and started filling in the other two days on my own, working out pretty hard by myself, too. The last month or so I’ve been inconsistent, and I’m disappointed in that, but I know that I’ll dig in and get back into a good pattern soon. Not so much a New Year’s resolution for 2010 as just something I know I’ll do.
As for 2010, I don’t know that I have any specific goals or resolutions, other than to just keep on keeping on. I’d like to work on being more consistent with balance and perspective on the world; I find that the moments of unhappiness that creep up on me happen more when I don’t feel at balance (eating healthy, sleeping well, exercising consistently). I’m more likely to take things personally, and I’m more likely to overreact. I see this at work and I see it in my personal life. If I’m getting wigged out at something that, rationally, really ought not to be that big a deal … something’s off. So I will commit to myself to continue to do my best to be in tune with what my body and mind need at a particular moment … self-awareness goes a long way to overall physical and emotional health.