Goodbye Old.

Happy New Year! Man, it never ceases to amaze me what the promise of a clean slate that comes with January 1st can do for my attitude. Or maybe it's just getting all those holiday sweets out of my system. Either way, I'm feeling tons better.

Let's start with the long weekend, which actually saw some accomplishment. Thursday night I stayed up to finish knitting and then felt the fuzzy slippers I've been working on (seemingly forever) for Miss Tess, since I was meeting her Friday night for a movie and belated gift exchange. Those slippers were a pain in the hinder, but it was worth it to see how much she loved them. Sunday, Matt and I headed to the park for some muchly needed exercise, and while we were at it we hashed out preliminary honeymoon plans and decided on a Mexican & Central American cruise. Sunday night I finally sewed a liner for my latest purse that I started before Thanksgiving and got that all put together. And Monday, I wrote, and finished Chapter 14 of my vampire romance novel, Eat Me In St. Louie (or possibly The V Word. I still haven't decided). Oh, and somewhere in there I managed to finish reading A Feast for Crows and catch totally up on the second season of Veronica Mars. AND I cleaned my bathroom. How great it is to start the year out with a sense of accomplishment.

2005, in retrospect, was... not that great. It wasn't my worst year ever, by any stretch, but it had enough rough patches and valleys not to qualify as one of my better years. Still, I've got a lot to be grateful for, and I've managed to take a few lessons away from the last year.

Lesson the first: think before you act. This is one I keep having to re-learn, but I'm definitely feeling less impulsive these days. Or at least less inclined to act on my impulses.

Lesson the second: things get better. Even when you manage to stomp the bottom out of your own world, eventually, things do get better, and what seems devastating now just won't carry that much weight in six months.

Lesson the third: I'm not responsible for other people's reactions to or opinions of me. I am, however, accountable for my own actions and reactions. Meanness from others is no excuse to become a defensive horse's ass.

Lesson the fourth: the internet is bad! Or at least bad for me, in excessive doses. Like most things, moderation is the key.

Lesson the fifth: being a grown-up is not as terrifying as I'd previously believed. Mayhaps it's finally time to put away childish things and own my grown-up status.

Lesson the sixth: beer good. Beer foamy.

Lesson the seventh: too much tequila bad. So very, very bad.

Lesson the eighth: do not neglect your old relationships for new-fangled internet friendships. 'Net friendships are exciting and new, but ultimately shallow and fleeting. It's the people who have known you and loved you face to face who will still be around long after your virtual world crumbles. Be good to them.

Lesson the ninth: it's important to be humble. It keeps you from being a jackass, it makes people in general easier to take, and it creates far less consternation than going through life with a sense of entitlement or inflated self-worth.

Lesson the tenth: God is good and faithful. Even when you're not all that faithful to Him.

Lesson the eleventh (one to grow on): communication (in a relationship) is key. Keeping stuff to yourself only engenders resentment on both sides. Sharing isn't always pleasant, but it ultimately brings you closer and makes your bond stronger. This, too, is one I keep having to re-learn.

So I'm a year older, and a year wiser, and, best yet, a year closer to being married to my sweetie. I can't say I'm sorry to see 2005 come to a close.