Deep Breath

2012 was rough - really rough.

Standing on the cusp of 2013 - weighted as it is with its trigger for triskaidekaphobia - I found it hard to be excited. Looking forward was fraught with risk. Hadn’t I done that on New Year’s Eve 2011?

I stayed with that negative feeling for quite a while - longer than I care to admit. Then I took my own advice about an attitude of gratitude and looked back to see what was good about 2012.


- Our grandnephew Finn was born and is healthy, handsome and wildly happy. His fine parents, Kate and Phil, are also wildly happy.

- Our grandniece Isabella celebrated her second birthday - and then some - and continues to be happy and learning like crazy. Izzy’s fine parents, Carrie and Al, are loving keeping up with their energetic treasure.

- My sister Gail surprised us with a visit from Georgia for Fourth of July fireworks.


- We were able to be with my sister Karen on April 27th and April 28th.

- Our niece Kayla found employment just a few weeks after relocating to the East Coast.

- Our niece Emily relocated to California and quickly found employment.

- We were grateful to have several visits with our grandniece Alex who is becoming a lovely young lady.

- We finally bought new cell phones and love how well they work for us.

- We saw relatives we hadn’t seen in years.

- I am now very comfortable creating spreadsheets in Numbers.

- We sold a condominium for a relative just a couple of weeks after we readied it and put it on the market.

- We learned to text - and negotiated the sale of the aforementioned condo mostly that way.

- We saw a “super” full moon in perigee and meteors.

- Chuck’s EEG was 100% normal.

- We got to know a cousin and his wife and they are are now dear friends.

- Our friend Wendy gave birth to a healthy little boy named Luca.

- We had the stand of ailing hemlocks - which scared me every time we had a storm - taken down or trimmed and treated.

- My heart was tested and tested some more and pronounced 100% A-OK.

- We added to our team of fine doctors and specialists and we still have a hospital we trust and like.

- We met a business associate in person after years of talking with him long distance. As a result, we like and trust him even more.

- When Chuck fell in November nothing worse than four non-displaced fractures happened.

- We had a lot of work done on our house by guys we trust completely.

- We got a new camera which has a speedy enough recovery to capture photos of speedy toddlers.

- Our friends’ daughter legally married her partner.

- We traveled to Bar Harbor and Acadia twice.

- We had two reunion luncheons with former colleagues.

- We had two reunion luncheons with extended family.

- We re-elected President Obama.

- One day, we babysat Isabella for eleven hours and when we returned her to her parents she was still in one piece.

- We saw the Grand Canyon.


OK 2013, I’m ready for you...