Here we are - September 17, 2010 - how quickly a year has passed! While it's just another day on the calendar...whoa, wait a minute, it's Halfway To St. Patrick's Day...strike that last comment! It's a GLORIOUS day!
I digress...to MOST, it's just another day on the calendar. But for me, it marks the end of one of the more challenging years I've had (typing that sort of made me chuckle, because I've had a few sh*t ones lately)...being unemployed for over 5 months in the toughest job market I've ever seen, a DUI, ridiculously unawesome stories being told about why I left my former job, savings being depleted to keep the house, car, and the kids clothed and fed, etc., etc.
But the past 365 days taught me some things...about myself, about people, and about what matters.
So here are some things I've learned since 9/17/09...in no particular order...
1. Stay-At-Home parents have THE hardest job in the world, and deserve every one's respect.
2. Seeing my children's smile and hearing them say "I love you, Daddy" are THE best medicine.
3. Never - E V E R - judge a book by it's cover. What may seem to be the bestest of everything on the outside can be a life and soul sucking sh*tshow on the inside.
4. U2 is THE greatest band on the planet.
5. The self-proclaimed righteous tend to be the most devious...to quote Coheed and Cambria's epic "Welcome Home", some people are "whores in sheep's clothing". You know these people...they are "friends", they are "lovers", they are "boyfriends" or "girlfriends", they can be "bosses", they can be "Representatives", "Senators", and even "Presidents". They are everywhere. See #3 above.
6. Everything happens for a reason.
7. Friends are not the ones that are around out of convenience...friends are ones that are around always.
8. I want to contribute to "the greater good".
9. Blinders in life - be it with religion, politics, people - only leads to ignorance.
10. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make the perfect omelet.
11. The key to being happy is to LIVE life...don't be a prisoner to expectations, the past, gossip, stereotypes, or your age.
12. It's critical to do NOTHING every once and awhile.
13. Every minute of every day, you have a choice...choose wisely. And if you don't, learn from the mistake and move forward.
14. Forgiveness is easy. Forgetting isn't.
15. The grass most certainly is NOT always greener.
16. "The best way to serve the age is to betray it". Don't become the person that the nay-sayers paint you to be...don't be a copy...go against the grain...be exceptional. Do something positive that no one would expect you to do...do something positive that you wouldn't even expect yourself to do.
17. Sometimes people you thought you knew nearly your entire life are sometimes people you don't know at all.
18. Life's too short to NOT have fun.
19. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and acts like a duck...chances are it's a duck.
20. MATT STONE IS AWESOME.
There are a ton more things I learned...some may come up again as a subject in a future blog. But it isn't the time right now.
It is time to be thankful though. For TRUE friends. For family. For work. For home. For health. For life.
A few shout-outs: Thank you Steph, The Littleheads, Pete & Mandy, Greg & Nancy, Gordon & Kim (wish you guys were closer - we miss you guys every day!), Matt & Kris, Rahul, Tommy, Shannon, Sharon, Jeff M (for reading this, for always listening, and for seemingly never judging), Dave & Katie, Granny & Pop, Stephen & Ami, Hurricane Henderson, Ruggz, Shelby, McDizzle, Margaret, Kim, the folks at US Foodservice who gave me another shot, Michael I and the entire staff at United Source 1, everyone at Shepherd who have helped my learning curve, and the guys and gals at Cheeseburger in Paradise. You made it all a little more tolerable
It's been a rough 365...but all-in-all, worth the ride...I have no problems looking in the mirror and being okay with the person I see staring back at me.
So Happy Friday, ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages...have a great weekend...do something blog-worthy!
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