1-1-11

...one year ago, I issued farewell to '09 with a salute of my middle finger.

Bills were stacked like aging newspapers upon the corner of my desk. The dayjob was in ruins, a managerial staff scurrying about like suited minions, assuring themselves a future while escorting my co-workers through the company exits. The book was hovering in obscurity, having received little feedback in months.

The mortgage was due, my dog was overweight, my son's basketball team was struggling, and the basement plumbing was clogged. The skies were gray, the temperature bitter. No hint of Spring in sight. As if the idea of sunshine were only a myth.

With aggressive fervor, I dropped into a chair, glared at my Dell, and began hammering keys...the one thing I've always counted on, regardless of what obstacles barred smooth travel.

What I posted that day, one year prior, was not a list of resolutions. Lofty dreams to pray for and eventually dismiss with life's daily grind once again taking precedence. I penned a set of goals, a pair of "must haves" in order to right the ship.

The book. The job.

I published the post, and set about the task of turning goals into realistic ventures.

The book deal was signed in February. The work's been tedious, but on last check, moving along on schedule, a 2011 release date within reach.

The job offer was made over Thanksgiving weekend, fittingly enough. A new dayjob with an all new degree of stress, but with far better working hours, and a fresh approach to industry.

The bills were paid, the drains running smoothly. A new coaching regime has taken over my son's ball team...me. And even the dog has trimmed the fat.

2010 was bid farewell with a tearful hug. It will be missed.

With '11's arrival, treadmill gears across the country are being greased, cigarettes getting tossed into the trash by the thousands, cleaning supplies being applied to filthy floors and refrigerator shelves infected with moldy leftovers.

A time for a fresh start. A clean slate.

There is but one goal I've set for 2011. A righting of the ship.

For those who read my blog regularly, I've spoken of The Girl. A twelve year old foster child in need of a home, her life currently entwined under the rule of third party regulations, a future in doubt.

We were close to bringing her home in 2010. So close...when the powers that be stepped in and thwarted nature's selection.

But the journey's not over, our quest far from futile. In 2011 the battle will rage on. The Girl will come home.

When arranging one's goals, future plans that could change everything, we must first study our reflection in a mirror, or perhaps a pool, its ripples calm enough to return one's image. Study yourself, the expression staring back, and make sure you know the person you're looking at. And as Rafiki says, "Look harder." For only when we truly know ourselves, can we strive to be better. Achieve the goals we've set, those lofty expectations with the power to cut through gray skies and allow the sun to warm our shoulders once again.

Happy New Year:)

EL