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2009 was a great year for me.
I don't know that it started out that way - I came into this year struggling with my new career - while I was enjoying myself to some degree, I didn't feel as if I was excelling or accelerating. Some of that was likely due to my newfound distraction/obsession - the economic crisis. Some of it was due to my beloved Jerry growing up and demanding more of my time and attention, not less - and that was a struggle too.
Right around mid-year, things began to change. I started a running program with my co-worker, Zach. In retrospect, that helped a lot - not only did I lose about 7 pounds (and thus it helped my self-esteem) but I feel healthier too. I also went to my boss and asked for more - more clarity on the role, more clarity on what I needed to do to exceed, and most of all - more responsibility. With Jerry, I resolved myself to spend as much time with him as possible - which firmed up my priorities.
At work, the change has been very clear. I became an active blogger on our corporate website, an active spokesperson at conferences, headed up a new horizontal push, and spent more time on the road helping sales and customers. These things snowballed and I became more involved, it became more enjoyable, and I became more involved. Of course, then my co-worker's told me I was working too much. I thought things were balanced, but I'll take that into consideration.
Jerry has also begun to mature - around mid-year, he began to play constructively. Instead of destroying everything, we could build things together. That sort of play makes it so much easier for me to stay engaged (and not get distracted by silly things, like our economy.) I did find a better way to stay engaged in the news and I got myself an iPhone - both of which made my walk to and from work more productive and allowed me to claw-back a few moments of the day for myself.
It might not be coincidental that mid-year Eriko announced that she was pregnant. The expectant joy of another child will do wonders for snapping one out of a funk.
The last two weeks here are a vacation for me and although we won't be spending time with Kevin and Melissa's family this year, I will get to spend it with my parents, my brother, and my sister. That's as good of a consolation prize as one can get it.
Enough rambling - Jerry is up and ready to play.
Happy Holidays to All!