On Day Twenty Eight

Sometimes a year feels like an eternity. Sometimes it flies by without a moment's notice. A lot can happen in a year, or very little can happen in a year. Mostly my time spent is completely unremarkable, and that's not entirely a bad thing. I'd rather have nothing noteworthy happen than have something bad happen, I think that's generally the case for most people. Disclaimer: This post of kind of a downer, I apologize in advance.

This was taken last February at Boyne Mountain in the upper part of Lower Michigan (oxymoron right?) Near the top of the Mitten, if that helps. At this point in time, life was completely ordinary. Aside from dealing with some minor anxiety issues, and having a sinus infection at the time (which I cured with sitting in the eucalyptus steam room they have at the spa), everything was just fine. I was plodding through life, just looking forward to Spring. I had a few things to look forward to, such as my pal's birthday celebration, which was off the hook, summer vacation, hanging at the park, etc. Everyone in my life seemed content, which, made me content.

Fast forward, one year later, a lot has happened, and none of it good. Between February 2011 and March 2012, it's been a pretty stressful time. Not so good for one prone to flipping out with anxiety. It started with losing a good friend, not just to me, but to my entire circle of friends, a partner for my best friend, a piece of sunshine in all of our lives. For the first month or so, I was completely numb to the idea, I was too busy trying to comfort my friend, I didn't have time to think about it. But now that the dust has settled, I've got all the time in the world to think about how life won't be the same.

About a month after that, just after Christmas, my parents had to put my childhood dog to sleep. While it was expected, since he was 15 and declining in health, it was especially tough since he and I grew up together. However, I am happy to report that they adopted a new dog and he's fitting in well with the family, despite the fact that their cats are a couple of little bitches and they hate this poor dog.

And finally, to cap it all off there has been some health concerns with my grandfather. At 90 years old, he's sharp as a tack and generally healthy to boot, I mean, the man still goes to work! He is tough as an ox, okay. I can say this in all honesty, my grandpa is bad ass. However, he had been in and out of the hospital since the beginning of the year for various reasons and the situation was iffy. Luckily, everything is just ducky and he's back to his old routine of raising hell and hanging out at work.

This was a lot to take in in the course of a year. I'm honestly surprised I didn't just blow my cap and go completely off the deep end. However, going through such events, and handling them as I did, I know that when something tough gets thrown at me, I can deal with it. I'm not going to lose my shit.

For the next year, I'm hoping to keep things completely unremarkable. I need things to be boring for a bit. I'll simply look forward to vacations and losing myself and enjoying the time and the people that I've got.