I am not, by nature, a pessimist. I mean, it's OK to complain to your closest friends...especially on Friday after work - in which case it's called "therapy" - but otherwise it's not the place to go.
So while I'd like to say 2009 sucked for us, I can't do it. I mean, get real...lots of families have it far worse than we do. We took considerable shots. But we're OK.
So rather than get all paranoid and pessimistic, tonight I asked everyone at the dinner table what was the best thing that happened for you this year?
Dylan says the high point was his time at the Brown University Leadership Institute where he and kids from all around the world met to discuss ways to effectively create social change. Dylan got a taste of college, fell in love, had a kiss on a gondola ride and began his independent life.
Drew loved his summer best. Also at Brown University, he spent a week learning how to create video games at ID TechCamp. He then spent another two weeks at Camp Rotary with his pal Nick.
Bob and I both count our trip to New Orleans as the top of our chart for 2009. It was a time filled with music and love, music and friends, music and joy de vivre. In New Orleans we got back in touch with life after a winter of loss.
Those are some highs. There were plenty of lows.
The year began on New Years Eve when Ben went out into the cold and almost didn't come home.
In February Bob's Dad died sending seismic shifts through our personal universes.
In March Bob got laid off from his job.
In April, in some kind of weird response to stress, a big patch of hair fell out of my head. No lie. Luckily it was in the back, and thankfully it grew back. Freaky.
In May Bob's car died and we had to buy another v-v-van which is exactly what you want to do with your unemployment check, right?
In August we went to the Pacific Northwest for a long-planned action/adventure family vacation which we almost canceled but decided to do anyway. When we arrived in Seattle Drew came down with an eye infection, a fever and a bad cold. As we traveled about in those cold summer weeks among the mountainous watery world of Seattle, Vancouver, and the San Juan Islands we were alternately sick or dragging. Dylan was an uncharacteristically sullen due to an ex-girlfriend he tortured himself over. The news reports were rife with H1N1 - I don't think we had swine flu - but who knows?
I missed a dear friend's daughter's wedding in August because I was too sick after vacation to go.
In September Bob did a beautiful thing. He volunteered to drive Dorothy to Mexico and get her moved into her new home where she planned to retire. It was an epic trip well-documented by Bob the travel blogger.
Yes Dorothy retired to sort of third world country. I was alternately flipped out (she's retiring to Mexico??) and excited for her (she's retiring to Mexico!). Given the way the year was going, I waited for disaster to strike...but so far so good...she's doing fantastic there and loves her new home.As for work, this was my third year with WeeWorld.com. Like most companies in this economy, the whole year has been like a game of chicken. The kind where you can't flinch...you just keep on going no matter what may be coming at you. Over the course of the year I spent the equivalent of a month in Glasgow, Scotland with our team there. We've all worked hard, and hoped to breakthrough to profitability by close of year - but 2009 wasn't going to have any of that.
It's bad all over. Tons of people I know are looking for work. In the family...Jim got laid off. Nancy and Scott went through a near miss with layoffs. So did Charlie I believe. Dan's company laid everyone off hoping to save money for when the work came back. But at the very end of the year they announced the company was shut for good. And Dan's worked there for 25 years I think.
Bob has been doing some good consulting gigs and has a few other options brewing. But still, lots of adjustments to make - it's been hard on him. For example, for years Bob called his Dad every day on the way to work just to shoot the breeze.But as usual Bob inspires me with his reactions to unexpected forks in the road. This time? He wrote a book. It's in it's third revision now and I'm eagerly anticipating my next read through.
December culminated in West Side Story at Marblehead High School. Dylan was a part of a very talented group that put on a spectacular production.
So after all is said and done, I'd say we survived OK thanks to love and hope and friends and family. And laughter. And not taking ourselves too seriously.
This year we're off to the land of SATs and college entrance. Followed by how soon can we sell this other van? And the much anticipated driving teenager. And we're putting pedal to the metal on this game of economic chicken. No flinching.
So goodbye 2009. Let's do better in 2010, shall we?
