I have had a string of great weekends out with friends. So much so that I am starting to wonder if there is an impending drought of socializing on the horizon. We have met up with folks at basketball games, bars and restaurants -- many of whom we have not seen in months and years. It may be the nature of life in our mid-to-late twenties that time and distance seem so much smaller after that first half hour of drinks. Nights like last night should happen as often as possible, even if it is four years in the making.
With 2010 on our doorstep and 2009 leaving like a rude house-guest, words like "goals" and "next steps" are tossed around quite a bit. It was late in 2008 when we sat down and planned out the better part of decade's worth of goals, so I suppose the time has come to revisit that list. Most of things we've outlined remain the same, others moved up or pushed back depending on other factors. We are lining up tours this week of new places to live. I suspect that decision will be the marquee story line for 2010, with most other things centered around maintaining the status quo or making incremental improvements. There are fewer and fewer material things that need to be replaced (vehicles are in working order, owned appliances are new, computers are sufficient, etc.), so our goal is to not end 2010 with a lot more "stuff". Many of the more challenging topics sit further out than 2010.
The days have started to get longer, although it is tough to see it when dusk still happens around 4 p.m. on this cloudy and windy day. We had a very brief sighting of snow on Christmas, but now there is just the howling wind that rattles the vinyl siding and knocks over our long-departed potted plants. The timing of the holidays fits well -- I think we all need a pick-me-up to get through the winter months ahead. We are supposedly running a 5K race on the first, but I suspect that it will more be of a "jogging/while while frozen."
Happy New Year!