Thursday, December 31, 2009

Changing tides

Happy New Year! This is it. This is the year I meet every challenge head on, keep my resolutions, and end the year with a shout of triumph. It beats the usual whimper at the end of each topsy-turvy year.

But in 2010, I turn 50. When my husband and soul's mate died, it was all I could do to breathe just one more hour. In 2010, five years will have passed and in that time I've breathed and laughed and grown and reached for new goals and let go of old ones, and learned that even death can't stop love.

This is the first year, in my entire life, that I will live alone. The kids are grown and gone. Goofy Pooch kind of doesn't count: she's so old that she's just happy with the occasional doggy treat between three-hour naps, and the ecstasy of having that spot on her arthritic hip scratched.

2010 marks ten years since I became a freelancer. What a ride! It's a little crazy a lot of the time, and a lot crazy some of the time, and I'm so grateful to be able to do it.

And so, this New Year's Eve is special. Along with the rest of the world, I will gently let go of yesterday and throw open the door to tomorrow. But this time, I'll do so in all the glory of my middle-age, feet first, arms in the air, yelling, "Wheee!"