One more holiday weekend to get through to end the old and start the new year.
2009 has been a pretty good year all things considered. I've been steadily gaining strength and confidence in my body after the rough time I had in 2008. I expect this to continue into the new year although the first thing on my plate is a colonoscopy on monday. It's partly preventive maintenance and partly to help figure out what is causing this tightness on the left side of my abdomen that is not particularly painful, but does prevent me from moving as I would like. 2009 has been good to me in other ways, especially renewing relationships with old friends and family members long missing from my life. The support of friends and family has been tremendous this year. Shari, Cameryn and I have had a bit of a rough time with me unemployed. Strangely enough, the reduced income has allowed us to better see what is essential to our long term happiness.
2009 Top Ten List of great things that happened in 2009.
#10 Starting a blog.
#9 Meeting new friends on the internet, some who are also bladder cancer patients and others who are great bloggers.
#8 Getting in touch with friends of 25 years or more who had disappeared from our lives for awhile.
#6 Seeing an African-American elected to the Office of President of the United States.
#5 Having George W. Bush out of office.
#4 Having a delightful Christmas week with the in-laws and my daughter Journey home to celebrate.
#3 Welcoming my son Aidan home after an extended stay in the city's sleep away camp.
#2 Getting in touch with my son Chris after some years of no contact.
And the NUMBER ONE GREAT THING THAT HAPPENED IN 2009.
Alyssa Shay Williams, my grandaughter born on December 18th.
What great things did you see in 2009? What's the best thing that happened? Are you optimistic about 2010 like I am?.
I'd like to wish all friends of Going Down Hill a very happy and prosperous New Year. I'd like to thank all of you for your support, kindness and encouragment. Without you this endeavor would have been in vain. You have become a special part of my extened "family" Love to all.
Mike.
ps: I have added the Pandora widget to my blog. Feedback on your experience with it should you try it would be nice.
Aw, Mike, I'm in awe of you. I'm busily trying to boot 2009 in the ass because it wasn't a banner year for me. Understand, I'm not suffering, per se. Just unsettled and dissatisfied. You make me humble. I shall reorganize my thoughts and come back with something positive and cogent to say. Right now - too early in the morning and not enough coffee - Pandora overwhelms me. But I'll master that, too. I just haven't learned to deal with it YET. OK, here I go - high marks for "instant on" - in 2009, I met you and that was a gift to me. ~ ~ Les
ReplyDeletethis is no particular order.
ReplyDelete-i saw a deepening of my yoga practice, with illness and injury as my teachers.
-i experienced a burst of creativity, and confidence in such, the likes of which i've never experienced.
-blogs: mine, yours, others, new connections that surprise and delight me.
-i learned, again, that i know more, and less, than i think i do.
it's been a revelatory year, often not easy, and at it's end, my heart is full.
thank you for your part in it.
namaste
You win, Tag. You had more great things happen to you this year than I did. Maybe I'll get some turtle wax as a consolation prize.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, thanks for the Li'l Abner email. I'm not entirely sure why you sent it, but, no matter, I'm an Al Capp fan (except for that one time he gave John and Yoko a hard time during their bed-in. You have to chalk that one up to the generation gap) Happy New Year.
Thank you both for your kind words.
ReplyDeleteLeslie, A year ago I wasn't certain I would make it to 2009 let alone through 2009. It's too easy for me to get caught up in the crappy parts of my life. I don't want to do that anymore.
Standing, I envy your burst of creativity and confidence. I agree the year has been revelatory although not in that way for me. Here at the end of the year I feel a deep contentment. Must be doing something right.
Seems I forgot how to count. There are only 9 items on my top ten list. Kirk, I liked the line about being insane to be a cartoonist.
ReplyDeleteCartooning is no different than writing. There both creative endeavors.
ReplyDeleteSo insanity then is the key to creativity? Reading this Lil'Abner Story line the last few days persuades me that it is the key.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to think insanity is the key to creativity, go right ahead. As for myself, I personally think they'll look for any excuse to lock up a creative person up if they don't play ball. I'm sure there's a lot of creative people in advertising, yet you never hear about them going insane. It's only when you question the status quo a little too much do they trot out that "a thin line between creativity and insanity" stuff. As for Al Capp, while I'm a fan of his work, I don't like the fact that he turned into a reactionary toward the end. Go look up the tape with him and John and Yoko on YouTube. When the counterculture came along, that guy blinked.
ReplyDeleteRead "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey
ReplyDeleteMy comment on insanity and creativity was more or less satirical based on the current Lil' Abner story line on comics.com which has Lester Gooch the creator of Fearless Fosdick unable to write since being cured of his insanity.I'm more interested in Capp as a satirist than in his political views.I look at that tape with John and Yoko and I see more tongue in cheek sarcasm from both John and Al then I see true emnity. John then seemed to get angry protecting Yoko when she was put down by Capp. John was supportive of Yoko and got defensive when he perceived an attack against her or their relationship. I'd like to hear Lime's take on that.
ReplyDeleteI read Cuckoo's nest years ago, the movie is more deeply ingrained than the book. Might be about time to pick it up again.
Originally, I only had the one Abner strip you sent me. Now that I've seen the whole week, I think Capp in satirizing the BELIEF that creativity and insanity is one and the same thing, rather than saying he shares that view himself. I can't say for sure as the story doesn't have an ending to it.
ReplyDeleteExcellent way to put it Kirk. After watching the video and reading up some more on Capp, I have difficulty finding where he truly stood on many issues. It seems he liked stirring the pot.
ReplyDelete