Working On A Quirky Graph

I’m not sure I ever paid attention to my elders when I was a kid when they said the years got faster as we get older. I understand it now. Time does seem to fly forward, events and repercussions shooting towards us in an accelerated fashion. Just as you are getting used to one life change, something else reality shattering is picking up speed just out of sight.

‘May you live in interesting times,’ is attributed to be a Chinese curse, but I feel that sums up the last few years. Unfortunately the phrase cannot be found in Chinese history, but the closest equivalent is “Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos.” (寧為太平犬，不做亂世人) The expression originates from Volume 3 of the 1627 short story collection by Feng Menglong, Stories to Awaken the World. Thank you Wikipedia.

Most people I know have their head on a swivel, trying their level best to be prepared for whatever may be coming next. It isn’t just climate change, or the political fervor; it seems that vitriol is prevalent everywhere, permeating social media, entertainment, people driving down the road. While I recognize that history can show us the pendulum swing of progressive energies, it is still a pain in the ass to be swinging away from positivity. I’m also unsure of how to feel that a saying originally written in the 1600s still resonates today.

This year has been a roller coaster personally as well as globally. And while I don’t have to participate in the global actions, it still affects how I participate in the things going on around me. I’ve traveled to Cancun twice this year, within a span of 2 weeks. I was asked to officiate a friend’s wedding this fall. That was one of my greatest honors. However getting ready for all of these things had me making sure all my bases were covered, and I was prepared for any outcome.

At the same time I believed I was going to lose my job at the end of April. I was lucky enough to get another job within the same company just a week before I would’ve been unemployed, but if the job market hadn’t been so tight I’m not sure I would’ve stayed.

Staying, though, gave me an opportunity to be employed for what we initially believed would be six more months. Another Hail Mary came when a portion of the company was bought out and we ended up moving from a start up to a corporate atmosphere. Honestly that was one of the biggest shifts for me. I’m still debating if the culture shock will wear off.

In the last two years, I adopted and lost a sweet goofball of a giant dog that I still can’t believe is gone. It has been so eerily quiet in the house, and I’m struggling to motivate myself to get out and walk. It was so much easier when I had a giant nag, who insisted on long walks to search for errant evil squirrels bent on world (or neighborhood) domination. It isn’t as much fun to look for them by myself, and honestly they don’t seem to be nearly as afraid of me as they were of him.

I also started on a weight loss journey that has me ending this year 120 lbs down from my biggest weight after a lot of medicine and finally a gastric sleeve surgery to make it more permanent. I’m still getting used to this new body and I know my body is getting used to the hormonal changes, but we will keep moving in this direction.

I’m fairly certain I won’t stay up to bring in the new year. It will be there in the morning when I wake. I’m also not holding my breath that this new year will be less chaotic than the one ending. I guess I will just have to find my peace and happiness where I can and strap in on the ride for the rest of it.