2017 — and not a moment too soon

What a strange, exhausting, emotional and dark year 2016 was for me — and apparently, for many of you. For me, the year was marked by waves of optimism that ended up mostly crashed on the rocks of reality. (How’s that for a metaphor?) I won’t bore you with the crap I had going on in my personal life; I’d rather try to move forward. With so much upheaval, with the grim outlook presented by our political system, with the number of deaths and illnesses and mayhem in the world, I’ve given in to viewing 2016 as a nightmare best not remembered.

But I know that life isn’t really all one thing or another, and so today I’m going to deliberately think about the best parts of the past year:

My beautiful children, moving forward with their lives in good health: James finishing his first semester at college (and doing well — coughcoughAllAscoughcough) while the twins started their freshman year in high school (and are also doing a tremendous job).

Boris and Charcoal, still fluffy and sweet and loving, and also in good health.

Deep and meaningful friendships that enhance my life and give me laughter, hope, and encouragement.

Learning and growing in my not-so-new job, and enjoying the friendships I’m making with my coworkers, in particular my wonderful lunchtime knitting circle.

Publishing two (!) books and many articles and even a couple of designs, all of which I am very proud — along with our first-ever knitting retreat.

Still blessed by my mom’s presence in my life — how precious that is!

Finding pleasure in books and yarn and other hobbies.

We will all face major challenges in our personal lives and in our country in the coming year. I wish I had some kind of magical wisdom to help us all face those challenges. I wish I knew what to say to give us all some reassurance that 2017 won’t suck even more than 2016, and that we’ll all be okay. When I had baby twins and an active four-year-old running around, people would often ask “How do you do it?” And I would say “I do it because I have no choice.” It’s not as grim an answer as it sounds. It reminds me that I am strong and a survivor. I can face obstacles and heartaches and challenges and somehow muddle through. If you’re reading this, then you’re a survivor, too. Let’s muddle through this next year together, finding joy everywhere we can.