I’ve never been a big celebrator of New Year’s Eve. My “new year” or time for reflection and planning always seemed to happen at the start of a new school year around August or September. That habit stayed with me many years after I was “free” from formal education. Now it seems I am always in a state of evaluation and goal-setting. The New Year signifies Completion and moving forward.
I started 2007 with a Boyfriend, my first after 5 years of fleeting and uncommitted pseudo relationships. This was a big deal for me and one I didn’t take lightly. We had a lot of fun together, were very comfortable with each other and enjoyed a lot of the same things (like snuggling and eating snacks). Unfortunately, the relationship didn’t last. The thing that is so disappointing is the wonderment of how two people can look so good together and get along so well but have completely different things going on inside them in regards to what they wanted and I guess, ultimately who they are together as a couple. I have fond memories of our First Kiss, staying up past my bedtime on many occasions, being introduced to Pyramid Apricot Weizen, an increased appreciation of snow, spooning all night, snacks galore, the Wave, and all the other seemingly little things that make up a relationship.
2007 had it’s share of Friendship changes as well. I rekindled some relationships with dear childhood friends. I also lost some friends due to one or the other of us changing/growing apart. This is always a tough thing, especially since I have found it harder to make friends the older I get. People seem busier with their own lives and in their own world if you will.
On a financial note, while making the most money in life thus far, I also spent more money total in 2007 than I have in my entire life! At least it feels that way. It started in January with a new Tanzanite gemstone for my old wedding ring. What a beauty that is! I had been wanting to get a new stone for the ring for years and suddenly it happened! I really believe in the power of thought and speaking it (for the positive and negative)! Within a few weeks of that came a brand new Furniture set. In 2001 I bought a new bed and computer and last year was the wakeboard, so the furniture was probably the most practical of purchases.
Next in March came a solo trip to Cancun, Mexico. This was my first solo vacation and also my first time to Cancun. I have lived overseas (Egypt and Germany) and traveled plenty, but not to a foreign country with no one at the other end to meet me! This was an exciting and minimally nerve-wracking thing to do! I did it! I had a blast and I came home in one piece! I stayed at Dreams Resort and had an awesome room that stepped right out to the Caribbean! I’m pretty sure it was Heaven. A month after I came back, one day I got a wild hair looking for a big screen TV online. We went out looking and both ended up buying a Samsung 50″ Plasma TVs! Honestly, I could have done without it. I wasn’t much of a tv person besides using it to veg out on occasion. I didn’t even have cable until summer of 2006! Now it seems I can’t let the dumb thing go to waste so it is always on. Things have definitely changed. I slowed down a bit after TV Galore (let’s hope so!). However it didn’t last for long.
Summertime brought me to more electronics purchases: my first nice Digital Camera, a DVR/VCR combo and an MP3 player (which doesn’t really count as a big purchase but is noteworthy all the same). I know you are asking where the new computer is, and so am I! I’m planning on it for 2008 *please hold*.
Then came a dream of mine — paying off my Car, the blue stealth bomber, which ended up not being as early a pay off as I would have liked, but you can clearly see some other Things got in the way! It happened early and that is all that matters!
Last, but not least at all, I bought a piano! Interestingly enough, this was the original “big ticket” item that I began wishing for a couple of years ago and one I have looked for on and off but never fully committed to buying. I recognized early in the year when I started purchasing things that were well over the cost of a used piano, that I was focusing on the least important of things for me. I do believe in Timing, however, and early December seemed to be the right time for me to get one and also the right person to buy it from. Seems I really closed the year out in style! My piano tuner came last week and he said I got a great deal, my piano is in amazing condition for the year (1960)! Compared to my Wakeboard purchase in 2006 and a Computer and Bed in 2001, I’d say 2007 was definitely my year for Going Green – or rather, Giving Green!
The year also held a change in Jobs, which is always a mixed event. While I left a job that I ultimately enjoyed, but that the management was messing up due to process changes (which they considered improvements), I began a new job that was not challenging and an atmosphere that doesn’t fit in with my creative style. The plus is that there was more money involved to pay for the above purchases!!
I continued taking various classes or seminars that I was interested in. The one of greatest commitment thus far and length of the class is a Kundalini Meditation class I am taking through Stargazers Bookstore. We meet every other Wednesday for 2 hours — for a total of six months! I do not take this commitment lightly and as we are halfway through the class, I am even more excited to see how we get to the end as to how we began. Big results for me have been a calmer or quieter mind. This has been refreshing for me because I am the type who is always thinking or analyzing. It has also introduced me to more like-minded ladies who I can learn from and relate with.
Lastly, after break-ups and lost friendships, I know that Family and True Friendships are what matter. I actually found myself enjoying a little bit of Christmas spirit this year! I got together with my family for Christmas Day and then extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, their kids) today for New Years. Celebrating New Year’s Eve was a surprise as well. I was going to just stay home and set some goals for 2008 when I ended up getting 3 impromptu invites (all from guys, go figure!). A long time friend, Kevin, insisted I accompany him to a house party his friends were having. We got all gussied up (which always feels good) and we danced, sang karaoke and had a great time. I met a lot of really neat people. It was an Awesome way to bring in the new year!
