Resolution, schmesolution

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. Let's get that out of the way. I don't think that something as simple as the date on the calendar should somehow warrant changing your life. Why not choose your birthday, or St. Patrick's Day, or Secretary's Day? It makes no sense. So instead, I've decided to list the prominent things that happened to me over the last twelve months, and what I've learned from them. Thus, in no particular order:

1. I hurt myself. A lot. Over the past 12 months, I managed to:
a) Slam my thumb in my car door without any assistance or outside reason. Result - a giant bloody mess that took weeks to heal.
b) Drop a gigantic rock on my toe. Result - same as above.
c) Broke a rib. Mrs. TK somehow persuaded me to go skiing with her. I foolishly agreed, despite never having skied before. I thought, for some insane reason, that maybe I would try snowboarding instead. On my third bruising trip down the bunny hill, I flew ass over teakettle, put my hands out to brace myself, and managed to break a rib... on my own fist. Yes, I basically punched myself in the chest and broke a rib.
The lesson: At thirty-one years old, I am still as clumsy as I was when I was 14. Sad, but true. Actually, maybe I'm somewhat less awkward. Between the ages of 13 and 15 I managed to break my left arm three times, my right arm once and broke two teeth. Seriously. Ow.

2. I began drinking in moderation. Part of it is that I now live much farther away from my friends than I used to... I live about 20 miles from Boston, so going out and getting hammered becomes much more risky. So I've tempered myself somewhat. Unless we're hanging out at my house... then all bets are off.
The lesson: I am becoming a grown-up.

3. I got a new job. Which was awesome. I moved from being the manager of a low-income housing development in Boston, which had three shootings and one stabbing in six months, to working for a Housing Authority in a position of... gasp! management. It's strange. It's weird, telling people older than me what to do. And it's amazing. I have never been able to say this before, but I absolutely, positively love my job. This is momentous.
The lesson: Fuck grad school. At least for now.

4. I bought a house. Which was terrifying. I mean really, knee-knockingly terrifying. But I can never complain about it, because I really love the place. It's small, it's far from Boston, it's so goddamn suburban that it makes me sick sometimes. But it's quiet, it's cozy, and it's got a gigantic yard with a fence around it, so my dogs (and I) can run around with reckless abandon. Add in the hammock factor and summers have become a whole new level of wonderful.
The lesson: OK, now I'm really a grown-up.

5. I officially gave up on two friends. This sucked. Two people, one of whom was the best friend I had in college, one who was an ex-girlfriend who became a great friend, that I was very close to. But I'm a believer in giving what you get, and frankly, I was giving way more. I can only suffer unreturned phone calls and emails to empty spaces for so long. So after a couple of years of trying to maintain... I've decided to move on. Painful? You betcha. But it beats the alternative, which is constant disappointment and frustration.
The lesson: Life goes on, and one can't waste it hoping for something that won't happen.

6. I learned how to make friends. This was weird. And I know it sounds weird. But I've historically been terrible at it. Up until recently, almost every friend I'd had was a friend I'd known since high school, or friends I made in college (which doesn't count as making friends because you are forced into it by not knowing anyone and by a shared love of drinking). But for the first time I've succeeded in making good friends without help.
The lesson: I'm not sure what the lesson is.


# 7 will be it's own post, because it's long and detailed and fairly emotional, so doesn't seem to fit here.