Quick look in the rear view

So now the time has come to look in the rear view mirror at 2005 (I don't really want to say "look back" because I like to look forward as much as possible.. and a rear-view mirror look is more like a way to see what has already passed while still looking forward.. but anywayz). When I look back on this year, I see an incredibly trying year for humanity, one filled with disaster and destruction. There was so much sad news this past year. There were so many deep and ugly flaws brought to the surface, such that we now have to deal with them somehow if we're looking for long-term success. Some challenges were surmounted. Other challenges won the first round, so now we have to ready ourselves for a rematch - and it's only a matter of time before that day, or those days, come around. There were also positive bits of news and positive developments around the world. I think the best worldwide change in this year 2005 is that we literally know ourselves better now than we ever did before. We know how far we have to go, and we know how far we've already made it. We won some and we lost some, but we're now better equipped to face what lies ahead, in terms of knowledge, physical capability, and creativity. Knowledge and communication are expanding. Encroachment is expanding. Again, we've learned some tough lessons this past year, so let's hope that as we move forward we take the lessons taught this year and use them for positive ends.

As for me, 2005 was yet another transitional year. I, too, had some big challenges, not all of which I conquered. I did conquer, or at least bring under control, two absolutely critical challenges that have arguably transformed me into a much more confident person, which is one of my healthiest changes in many years now. I learned a lot about myself, about what I hope my reputation will become, and about what it means to be a good friend. I lost a few key battles. I was aggressive in at least two of them, trying to drive the green when I couldn't actually judge the length of the hole. But I play better now because I fell into those traps, and now I can handle them far better than I ever could. I emerged stronger from them. I used the challenges I faced for strength. I went places I'd never been, literally and figuratively. I made several really close friends. I struggled with other friendships and did what I could to salvage them as much as possible. I met a few personal goals and spun off others. I addressed my fears and set myself on the road to conquering several of them. I had a good time.

Even in a year of widespread sadness, I have to say that 2005 was my best year. I had hoped at this time last year that I would be able to turn around what I considered a little slump. That ended up happening in a big way.

From my own vantage point, the best days of the year were January 10, January 13, January 18, January 26, February 17, February 22, March 19, April 14, April 18, May 10, May 31, June 12, July 4, July 17, July 18, July 24, July 30, August 11, August 19, August 22, September 2, September 6, September 25, October 4, October 18, October 21, October 26, November 24, November 25, November 26, December 2, December 3, December 16, December 29, December 30, and today.

The toughest days were March 23 and June 26.

Best day? Hard to say.

Favorite memory? Ditto.

Pretty good year, though.

Looking forward to the next