Musings on the year that was and the year that will be...

I am amazed at how the time continues to fly by faster and faster as I get older. I vividly remember what I was doing a year ago right now but it only seems like it was a few months ago. I was on the road to New Orleans with my good friend Charles. We were off to a party at a friend's house for New Years Eve. I just can't get over the fact that it really only seems like it was a few months ago!

Parts of this year have seemed longer than others...like the months of March through June when I was working as a bartender in Austin trying to figure out where I was going to move to peruse my audio engineering studies. And then there was the time that flew by like my last six months here in Nashville. Looking back on it, this has been a fantastic year and there really isn't much that would make me happier right now.

I have made some exciting and scary life changes but I have settled into my new home quite well. I've made some excellent new friends and gotten reacquainted with some old ones. I've found and lost love a few times but I have been made better by it. I've taken some exciting trips such as my return to Lafayette Mardi Gras in February, my journey to Indio, CA in May to see the glorious reunion of the Pixies, a cruise with my ever expanding family to Jamaica, Grand Caymen and Cozumel in June and my travels to Minneapolis and Nashville in search of my dreams.

When 2004 started, I had a framework plan of where I would be on January 1, 2005. I don't like to make plans that are too hard and fast because when they don't pan out, I sometimes don't handle the disappointment very well. But this plan was only a framework and it is really not that far off from where I am today as I sit and write my last blog post of the year. Sure some things didn't turn out the way I had planned and then there are the things that I'm still waiting on to see where they are going. But there are so many happy accidents and coincidental encounters that I have had this year that have lead to, dare I say, great things.

I am both excited and terrified by 2005. I will be finishing school but then I will be looking for what comes next! I will be looking for the next path to follow or the next door to open that could possibly lead me to any number of opportunities. There will undoubtedly be some rough times but I am certain that there will also be magical times.

But no matter what the year 2005 holds, I would not be able to make it through the highs and the lows without my family and my wonderful network of friends. I don't say it enough, but I absolutely love my ever expanding network of friends with all of my heart. Sometimes I think about what my life would have been like if I had made certain choices differently. What if I had not chosen to attend college out of state? What if I had not gone to graduate school where I did? What if I had settled for another year of a job that was unfulfilling to me?

Several answers come to mind but the common denominator is that if I had done anything differently, I would never have had the opportunity to meet some very amazing people. There are far too many to name here and now, but I think in writing this I have realized what my New Years Resolution will be:

I will make an effort to express my gratitude and love to my family and friends for always being there for me when I have needed them.

I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year and hope that the year 2005 will be a great one for all!