The Best Year of My Life
I am now safely back in the States. The year has come full circle, I am seeing off 2005 in the same place (Virginia) where I welcomed it.
When I welcomed in 2005, somehow I knew I was welcoming the best year of my life. It was so inevitable that rather than imagining some legitimate New Year's Resolution, I resolved to have the best year of my life. I was initially very excited about sharing my New Year's Resolution with everyone I knew, but few people shared in my enthusiasm. One person told me about their friend's horrible accident. "You never know," they said, implying that any number of terrible things could happen. Several people thought they were being clever by pointing out that I didn't add the phrase "so far" to my resolution. "After 2005 it's all over," they said, "you'll never have another best year of your life." My more obliging friends asked me how I was going to make it happen, what was I going to do to make this year the best year of my life. I tried, but failed to explain that having the best year of your life has nothing to do with some accomplishment or event. If it did, I would have made that my New Year's Resolution. Focusing your attention towards accomplishing or getting or doing something so that you can have the best year of your life is one sure way to fail at having the best year of your life. Of all the challenges I confronted to my New Year's Resolution, "why is this going to be the best year?" was the most frustrating. How Can you even begin to explain all of the fascinating things you haven't learned yet or the places where you haven't been yet or the amazing people you haven't known yet?
Another new year. After having the best year of my life, there's still enough to learn and enough people to care about to make 2006 another best year of my life....so far.
When I welcomed in 2005, somehow I knew I was welcoming the best year of my life. It was so inevitable that rather than imagining some legitimate New Year's Resolution, I resolved to have the best year of my life. I was initially very excited about sharing my New Year's Resolution with everyone I knew, but few people shared in my enthusiasm. One person told me about their friend's horrible accident. "You never know," they said, implying that any number of terrible things could happen. Several people thought they were being clever by pointing out that I didn't add the phrase "so far" to my resolution. "After 2005 it's all over," they said, "you'll never have another best year of your life." My more obliging friends asked me how I was going to make it happen, what was I going to do to make this year the best year of my life. I tried, but failed to explain that having the best year of your life has nothing to do with some accomplishment or event. If it did, I would have made that my New Year's Resolution. Focusing your attention towards accomplishing or getting or doing something so that you can have the best year of your life is one sure way to fail at having the best year of your life. Of all the challenges I confronted to my New Year's Resolution, "why is this going to be the best year?" was the most frustrating. How Can you even begin to explain all of the fascinating things you haven't learned yet or the places where you haven't been yet or the amazing people you haven't known yet?
Another new year. After having the best year of my life, there's still enough to learn and enough people to care about to make 2006 another best year of my life....so far.
posted by Stefeni at 1:04 AM
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