The Shadow of In-Between

One year ends, another begins. What a strange thing it is to reflect on calendars and months and years, all being a thing and yet, not. That's time, right? That thing we all pay so much attention to because we give it power. Perhaps we should. Perhaps we must. Survival is, after all, learning how to cope with ourselves as much as our environments: the things we construct, the stories we tell, the futures we write. Time changes everything, and so do we. As I have said before, this is one of my favorite times of the year. Structure has considered me an unwelcome partner over the years so I take an opportunity such as the end of a calendar year to pause, reflect, and renew. I take note of continuities, discontinuities, repetition, themes, happenstance(s), etc. Quite a process, I tell you. Each year here at thesecondchance (2005, 2006, 2007), I've taken a moment publically to share a few of my thoughts in this process.

Each year in thewalrus' life, after all, promises to have its drama. Whereas in recent years I have had more misfortune than fortune, this year that was not the case as I had both, if not more of the latter. I was hit early in 2008 with news that my health insurance was dropping all coverage of my medical treatment from last year, but later in the year I qualified for medical assistance from the Vanderbilt MC. In August, I found out my father was getting eaten alive by the cancer that runs in our family but thus far, his drug trial has had some moderate success (or, at least, things haven't worsened). Other major changes for me this year involved making the decision to leave theology proper and pursue a career in secondary education and writing. I also completed my Masters of Divinity a few weeks ago. On top of all that, I am in an ongoing relationship with a person (whom you know as thegoose) that continues to be a significant source of enrichment. It was a memorable year in other ways as well, the highlight of course being Obama elected as President. For the first time in years, I am excited about our political future. Now, if all of us can give him some time to clean up the Bush disaster, maybe we'll see some of that vision come to fruition. And then, yes, we have Bama back and that's always a good thing.

Overall, it was a really good year. To be honest, however, fortune has been a bit tough for me to handle. In recent years, I became accustomed to and expected misfortune. As many of you know, I would inevitably be hit with a wave as soon as I stood back up. This year, however, has brought dynamics of fortune as well. This brings its own formidable challenge. But that, my friends, is the subject for the next post - namely, what happens when one moves beyond good and evil? What does that world look like and how might one live in it ethically?

I am looking forward to the new year. I will be starting classes at TSU in the spring but I am still looking for a job as I can't work at VU any longer. This is NOT a fun time to be looking for employment! Thankfully, I always have the bar here to fall back on. Also, barring some cataclysmic disaster, by the end of 2009 I will have completed my first novel and I can't tell you how excited I am about that. I hope the rest of you have had a meaningful year and that, at the very least, it might serve as a site from which you might grow in the future. I look forward to serving as your bartender in the upcoming year and I hope that you all will continue to bring your respective feisty asses into thesecondchance for a good chat. I assure you that, despite the risk of exposure to various forms of immorality, your visit here will be worthwhile. Feel free to leave your own end-of-the-year reflections in the thread. Have fun but be safe on NYE. Cheers.