somewhere out on that horizon, faraway from the neon sky

A new year is approaching. And with it, many changes.

In my twenties, life lessons came fast and often. A lesson would show up, knock me around a bit, and then pass as quickly as it came. I was left slightly bruised, a little out of breath and a bit wiser for the wear.

Then came my thirties. The lessons had a new strategy: deep and lingering. Gone were the lessons from which I could recover quickly. The new lessons hit deep and hard and overstayed their welcome.

I suppose the lessons from my twenties were less complex in nature -- a beach novel, of sorts. You get something out of it, but nothing truly life-altering. My lessons now feel more akin to a 1400-page novel; the kind you pick up with a mix of dread and desire. You know it'll be painful to get through, but you also know it will be worth it in the end.

I went from reading The Bridges of Madison County to reading War and Peace.

I miss the easier lessons. I do. Yet, there is a feeling of pride I get knowing I am making my way through Tolstoy. But the lessons have been hard; certainly harder than I ever imagined. And there are times when I wonder if life might grant me reprieve -- maybe throw me a few less Tolstoys and a few more Nicholas Sparks?

Still, as much as I would love to go back to the easier lessons, doing so would be about as helpful as taking Level I French while getting your Masters in French Literature.

Lately, I feel I'm coming to the end of this particular novel. It took me almost five years to finish. This is the year I turn 35. No doubt, there are many changes on the horizon and the lessons will continue to be hard ... but in a new way.

Life will surprise me. And I will be tested and pushed beyond what I think to be my limits. As Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, "Every now and then a man's mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions." That's how I feel about my life; with every lesson, I am permanently altered.

Soon it will be a new year. A new year filled with new lessons, new adventures and new dimensions.

I'm ready.

for nobody else gave me a thrill ...

Hoping that your New Year is filled with the people you love telling you the myriad of reasons why they love and cherish you ...

it had to be you

Cheers!

with so much love

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a joy-filled 2008.

Christmas Canon

we need a little christmas right this very minute!

I have been watching parts 1 thru 5 of a Muppet Family Christmas on youtube to help get me into the holiday spirit. It works magic!

Muppets!

Merry Christmas All!!

and since we've no place to go ... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Moving right along ...

'tis the season for bad holiday gifts. so, in honor of the holiday, I'm going back to the old format for a bit ...

1. what is the worst present you ever receievd?

2. what is the best present you ever recieved?

3. what is your favorite christmas tradition? (even if you don't celebrate it ... what do you do on the day?)

4. who would win in an ultimate celebrity deathmatch: Santa or the Abominable Snowman? Would there be midgets?

5. would you rather spend one day at the north pole or in a magical gingerbread house?

met my old lover in the grocery store, the snow was falling christmas eve

Remember that scene in "When Harry Met Sally" when Sally is being comforted by Harry after finding out that Joe got engaged? And in between sobs the truth dawns on her and she says to Harry:

"All this time I thought he didn't want to get married. But, the truth is, he didn't want to marry me. He didn't love me."

Yeah. I remember it too.

But most of all when snowflakes fall, I wish you love

"Sometimes people come into your life and you know
right away that they were meant to be there, to serve
some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help
you figure out who you are or who you want to become."

The paragraph above is taken from a longer piece. The author is unknown, at least to me.

I am thinking today of all the people who have come into my life and helped to shape me into the person I am today. I am thinking of how grateful I am for knowing each of them. The ones who broke my heart. The ones who made me laugh. The ones who made me cry. The ones who made me angry. The ones who rejected me. The ones who made me feel loved. Every one of the amazing, complicated, wonderful, unique, and beautiful people I have known in this lifetime.

Thank you for coming into my life and for teaching me about love.

turned cartwheels cross the floor

Bored today ...

Who wants to give Deb something fun to do?

(ideas, links, articles, websites, youtube videos, etc etc etc)

Place 'em in the comments!