2010 - A Year of Change
Wow, I can't believe it's been an entire year since I last posted. I was hoping to be more active in writing, but it seems that it's been quite the opposite. Nevertheless, it's the end of year, and it deserves a summary.
Life ebbs and flows with change. Some good, some not so good, most of it due to circumstances beyond our control.
I have to say that I seem to crave change. If my life becomes too predictable, or if I'm not happy with the direction things are going, I tend to pick up and find something to refresh things.
2010 started with the anticipation of change. The company I was working at was doing badly financially and was in the process of being purchased by a larger company. That was a welcome change, because it meant that we the quarterly layoffs were finally going to end.
However, even though I didn't change my job, my manager, or even my office, there were subtle changes going on weekly. The most disappointing was finding out that we were getting fewer holidays and vacation. Hence, why I'm sitting in my own living room on New Year's Eve instead of enjoying the ocean view at North Carolina's outer banks.
But, that is a minor lament, I suppose.
Many good things happened this year. I've reestablished a number of old friendships with college and high school friends. It is amazing to see all the changes in each other's lives over the years. I've also gotten back into aircraft ownership and have been attempting to fly more frequently.
The biggest change this year was my latest attempt to learn something new. 2010 was the year of learning to play baseball. Yes, at my age, I'm only beginning to learn how to play something most people learned when they were children.
February brought our second vacation in Fort Myers, where my husband spent the week playing baseball with his friends every day. The evenings were filled with the joy and laughter of sharing stories and getting into sweet mischief with dear friends. My first day there, I managed to make a small error and knocked on the door to the wrong hotel room and, as a result, I was given a week's worth of hilarious ribbing.
Starting in the spring, every Saturday, my husband and I joined two of his friends and my training began. Though, it never felt like training. Four grown adults, on a ball field, just playing ball and having a simple good time.
Every week, it felt like we were kids again. There was no fear of failure, it was just the joy of being together in the sun: throw ball, catch ball, hit ball, chase ball that just went over your head. Catch breath, repeat. Laugh when somebody does something that looks silly, especially if it was yourself.
What a beautiful thing. No expectations, no worries, no talk of anything deep or serious. Two hours every week of being a child again.
If you are reading this, I hope you can find something in your life that can give you the same feeling. I also hope that when you find it that you can step back and cherish it for the wonderful gift that it is.
We make our lives too complicated. We need less, not more. Sometimes happiness is just that easy: a ball, a bat and a glove on a sunny day with friends.
I'd say that this year's attempt at change worked out pretty good.
Life ebbs and flows with change. Some good, some not so good, most of it due to circumstances beyond our control.
I have to say that I seem to crave change. If my life becomes too predictable, or if I'm not happy with the direction things are going, I tend to pick up and find something to refresh things.
2010 started with the anticipation of change. The company I was working at was doing badly financially and was in the process of being purchased by a larger company. That was a welcome change, because it meant that we the quarterly layoffs were finally going to end.
However, even though I didn't change my job, my manager, or even my office, there were subtle changes going on weekly. The most disappointing was finding out that we were getting fewer holidays and vacation. Hence, why I'm sitting in my own living room on New Year's Eve instead of enjoying the ocean view at North Carolina's outer banks.
But, that is a minor lament, I suppose.
Many good things happened this year. I've reestablished a number of old friendships with college and high school friends. It is amazing to see all the changes in each other's lives over the years. I've also gotten back into aircraft ownership and have been attempting to fly more frequently.
The biggest change this year was my latest attempt to learn something new. 2010 was the year of learning to play baseball. Yes, at my age, I'm only beginning to learn how to play something most people learned when they were children.
February brought our second vacation in Fort Myers, where my husband spent the week playing baseball with his friends every day. The evenings were filled with the joy and laughter of sharing stories and getting into sweet mischief with dear friends. My first day there, I managed to make a small error and knocked on the door to the wrong hotel room and, as a result, I was given a week's worth of hilarious ribbing.
Starting in the spring, every Saturday, my husband and I joined two of his friends and my training began. Though, it never felt like training. Four grown adults, on a ball field, just playing ball and having a simple good time.
Every week, it felt like we were kids again. There was no fear of failure, it was just the joy of being together in the sun: throw ball, catch ball, hit ball, chase ball that just went over your head. Catch breath, repeat. Laugh when somebody does something that looks silly, especially if it was yourself.
What a beautiful thing. No expectations, no worries, no talk of anything deep or serious. Two hours every week of being a child again.
If you are reading this, I hope you can find something in your life that can give you the same feeling. I also hope that when you find it that you can step back and cherish it for the wonderful gift that it is.
We make our lives too complicated. We need less, not more. Sometimes happiness is just that easy: a ball, a bat and a glove on a sunny day with friends.
I'd say that this year's attempt at change worked out pretty good.