It’s that time of year when I’m filled with the Holiday Cookie Bloat and Back To Work Dread everyone starts looking back what the past 12 months have handed them, what they’ve accomplished or failed to achieve. It’s also when the entire Internet is overflowing with weak year-end lists, “best of-” collections and boring decade rounds-ups. I’ve got nothing to contribute because, well, frankly I’ve had my head in a hole for the past 365. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I’m not going to lie, 2009 kinda sucked. Between the week-long ice storm and the flood that displaced me for four months and between the 10 rounds of pink eye, five ear infections and countless bouts of other assorted maladies…yea, sure, some other stuff happened. I didn’t paint a room in 2009! That was totally worth breaking my “no exclamation point” rule just to be able to write that. First time in five years.
But looking back on it all, I truly don’t remember much. I had to go back and read what I wrote about those experiences to remember. Because in my head, 2009 was when Liam learned to sit up, to crawl, to stand and walk and run. It was the year he learned how to call me Dada and ask for things he needed (and things he didn’t). I will remember 2009 as the year that my son became a little man and not just a baby.
So even though I contemplated writing a “things I did this year/things I’ll do next year” list, as I have in the past…I decided not to. Instead I can simply say that in 2009, I tried really hard to be a better father and husband, despite failing many times.
And in 2010 I’m going to try to never forget what it feels like when my son gently takes my hand and leads me to the couch to read him a stack of books. Because that’s all the reason I need to try to be a better person.
EDIT – Sh*t. I forgot I painted the garage this summer. 2009 really did blow.