Short Thoughts

Odes to ’09 and ’10

“Now what will become of 2009. I fear that 2008 went far too well for 2009 to possibly be good.” (Odes to ’08 and ’09)

It really is unfortunate when my predictions turn out to be accurate.

I’m going to be honest with you: contrary to popular belief, 2009 was not the best year of my life. In fact, if I can be quite frank — which I can, it’s my blog — it was downright crappy. Proverbially speaking, the shit hit the fan, and it was pretty messy; you really can’t expect much out of a year that begins with a massive month-long fight with your best friend. And then business kinda’ failed. And then grades kinda’ tanked, too, and I’m currently taking a (forced) year off from Brown. To summarize, 2009 was the ultimate personification of Murphy’s Law.

But you know, it wasn’t all bad: I’ve got a great new job at Jerk.com, I’ve got a great set of friends that (for the most part) don’t make me want to tear my hair out, I’m dating someone again for the first time in quite awhile, and if nothing else, my life is a whole lot better than a lot of people’s. When in doubt, just remember: it could be worse.

My friend Becca ruminated on the year from a perspective slightly different from mine:

“Today I realized that I am at a point in my life where I hardly identify with the group of fine young people I was so close to in high school. Rather, I have new friends with different goals and interests, and we ‘click,’ just as my old friends and I ‘clicked’ five and a half years ago as freshmen in high school. We have all changed. We have grown apart. I don’t know when this all began… It’s alright, though, that we have grown apart. The key is that we have grown. Growth is important in all aspects of life. As time passes and we grow older, we also grow in maturity and stature (well, for most, anyway), and into the people we were meant to be. We meet all types of people in college, stick to those who either challenge us in a way we cannot ignore or are so like us that we are convinced we were meant to be… Some of these people will remain with us beyond college. Others will not. All, however, will somehow impact us.” (Growth, Becca Hammond)

And ya’ know, she’s right. I realized a long time ago that my own life isn’t about me. Rather, it’s about the connections that we make with other people, and the meaning that’s created when people collide. We are a social breed of animal, and none of us would survive long if we had to live without the other people in this world that make life just so damn amazing.

So to 2009, I therefore confidently say “You sucked, but I love you anyway. ” The time has come to look forward to 2010.

I’m more than slightly optimistic about the year 2010 (though that’s nothing new). If all goes according to plan, I should be back at Brown at the start of the fall semester, which in and of itself is enough for celebration in my book. Prospects with my work — both my official and unofficial jobs — are very promising, and I can’t wait to spend even more time creating, writing, and giving back to the Mac community in ways that only we developers can. For the most part, my social life is smooth, and I don’t anticipate any major hiccups in the near future. Every single person in my life is incredible, and it would be insulting and downright stupid for me to think that the products of their labors this year will be anything but astounding. I don’t expect 2010 to be a particularly significant year in any greater sense, but that doesn’t matter, it doesn’t take much for something to be meaningful.

Plus, anything’s better than 2009.

Happy New Year, friends.

This post is part of a series of ongoing posts I write every year on New Year’s Eve. You can check out the previous posts on my old blog.

• Odes to ’07 and ’08
• Odes to ’08 and ’09