Reflection. Not just for a mountain lake.

On Facebook yesterday, Christina Katz put forth this challenge:

Just for one moment, before the clock ticks to 2013, I’d love it if all of you would spend time considering all the things you did RIGHT this year. And by right, I mean: right for you. I hope the choices you made all year helped make your life more joyful, productive and prosperous. And I hope you continue to make the best choices for your life in 2013! Happy New Year weekend, everyone. It’s going to be an awesome year! 🙂

And I say challenge, because that is what it is for me. I don’t often reflect upon what goes right, even when it’s painfully obvious that there is a lot there. It’s easier to see (and spin out of control over) the things that go wrong. Squeaky wheel and all that. So I took on this challenge and hoped for the best.

I wrote a book. People like it, it has been well received (more so than I could have ever hoped), and it is something of which I am proud. Carving out the time to write it was tough, and I anticipate that will never change. I’m always going to have kids/other commitments/life demanding I close the laptop and pay attention to it. But, by God, that book got written. With it under my belt, I’m excited about doing more writing.

The best decision of the year, made at the end of 2011, was to homeschool A. I can say without a doubt that THAT was something I did right this year. The decision, I mean. The actual homeschooling makes me think on an hourly basis that he’ll never learn enough to get a job earning enough to afford the therapist he’ll need to get over how badly I screwed him up. <pssst…this post is supposed to be things you did right!> But despite all my doubts, despite the challenges, this was the right thing to do.

We painted every room in the house, save one. This may not seem like something big enough to be on this list, but yeah, it is. The place looks brighter and cleaner and more like us. We even sucked it up and painted the kitchen cabinets (file under: Never Again). The final room, a bathroom, will be done next summer. It needs a new sink/vanity, and a new toilet would be a good idea, and that’s a lot more than we care to deal with right now.

I recognized that maybe I should get a handle on the intermittent insomnia. And I finally got my soul-sucking anxiety under control.

I announced to the world that I don’t brag about my gifted kid (though I am damned proud of him), and it blew up my blog. That was something I did right.

I have a proudly geeky son.

I picked up my flute again, and became a dedicated amateur with a professional background. My first wind ensemble concert in over a decade was sweet indeed. I missed it so, and am so so grateful to be playing again.

The upcoming year is the first in many for which I am excited. For whatever reason, I am optimistic and hopeful for the months ahead. Trust me, it’s been a long time coming; the last few years have sucked little green frogs. I have much I want and need to improve, and I actually feel that I can for a change. But tonight, I know I’ve done something right this year. Maybe not a whole lot, but enough.