Part I: 2012 began with the easiest winter I can remember-- both in terms of snow and, more important to me, my mood. Fabulous job, fabulous friends, all was good. The big project on my plate outside of work was prepping Pat's house to be sold (my g'ma's best friend from growing up had left my grandma her house when she passed away, and it was a crazy run-down, beautiful historic house in upstate NY, surrounded by woods and bears, and full of amazing things). By the time the winter was over, the house had been sold to a lovely family, and my house was full of old books and antique furniture. I was in the midst of my first legislative season, and work was a huge (and rewarding!) part of my thoughts and time.
Part II: By the end of spring, I decided to take a leap on something I'd been thinking about for a long time, and started the process to become a foster parent. I moved out of the Firehouse, and moved in next door into a big yellow house. Lovely folks came over and helped me build a crib (which Indigo put to good use when J&J&she stayed with me at the end of the summer.) I signed up for the classes, got fingerprinted, started getting the necessary out of state clearances (etc, etc-- seriously a crazy level of bureaucracy is involved...)
Part III: And then I spent the rest of the year in New Relationship Land. Which isn't a story for social networking, but suffice to say it's a wonderful, and totally unexpected, turn of events.
So, my major take away from last year is that to make plans is to invite the universe to poke at them. The different work/family/kids/love chapters above didn't have easily understood transitions between them (what hack is writing this story, anyway?), and I can't really predict what 2013's chapters will look like. I was so fortunate this year that the shocking moments in my story were joyful and exciting ones, and that the pain they brought me was the logistical problem of how to have all the good things at the same time-- that's not a fate track record you can ask for every year.
(Attached is my working draft of my "manifesto" for 2013. I'll live with it for a few days before I have it printed and put it on the wall, but I think it's close to what I'm looking for-- more about mindset than particular plans. Some things with an eye to getting through the next few months when I know that the winter likely won't be so easy this year. I'm not sure how it will extend throughout the year-- it has an "early spring" feel to me right now. But it's less about concrete goals and "accountability" than it is about having a vision of what I want life to look and feel like for me right now. And after a year of high energy, hairpin turns in life direction, I'm excited to cultivate some time of just sitting out on the porch with a cup of tea, watching crocuses come up, and enjoying a period without particular driving plans.)
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