It will be 2006 here in the Central Time Zone in 36 minutes, and I’m digesting dinner and taking a break before resuming our typically low-key New Year’s celebration. I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Eve, though it doesn’t bother me the way it used to either. I used to hate the feeling of being required to have fun just because of some arbitrary blip on the calendar, but I’ve long since stopped thinking I have to go to a party or a show or some other festive event, so now I don’t really mind the holiday. As long as I spend it with Bill (and with other loved ones, when possible), I’m happy.
It feels wrong somehow to not be writing a big summation of the year’s ups and downs, but I covered most of that stuff at Thanksgiving, and I don’t want to repeat myself any more than I usually do. Besides, 2005 hasn’t been such a great year for some of the people I’m closest to, so I don’t want to dwell too much on how good a year it’s been for me overall. I will reiterate, though, that I’m incredibly glad and grateful for how different things are on December 31 this year from December 31 last year. I had no inkling at this time last year of how many positive changes there would be in my life during 2005, and I was also in the midst of a particularly deep, dark depression. I’m not anticipating quite such major changes for 2006, just the usual vagaries of a year in the life, but at least I’m going into the year as full of energy and enthusiasm and positive feeling as I’ve been in a long time. My heart developed a few small, unexpected fissures (the metaphorical kind, that is, not the physical kind) this year, and there were certainly a few low moments (though for the most part 2005 improved with every passing month), but overall, this was one of the best and most plain old interesting years I’ve had in a while. I can only hope that 2006 will be half as full of intriguing and joyful and memorable and satisfying moments as 2005 has been.
I hope you’ve all been enjoying the holiday season as much as I have. (The fact that my office was closed this past week made the holidays particularly enjoyable—I can’t remember the last time I had a whole week off, much less one that didn’t involve using up any vacation days. Made me feel like a kid at Christmas, so to speak.) I was hoping to get my best-of list nailed down by the last day of the year, but I guess it will just have to be my first post of 2006 instead, because I’m still wrestling with it. In the meantime, it’s time to break out the toasting beverages and get ready for the year to change. I wish all of you a wonderful 2006.