Looking Forward to Days Like This

— Photo by ML

My initial thought was to write about the decade that was. After all, so much had happened, and so much had changed. Good things. Bad things. Strange things. Exciting things. Mundane things. In short: life happened. This was the decade when I won it all, and then lost it all.

OK. Stop! Yes, I lost all assets and my finances will remain a total mess for years to come. But during the last half of the last year of the decade I also got my life back. And what was otherwise a very difficult decade, actually ended on a tremendous up-note. Therefore, instead of looking back, I will look forward!

I'm looking forward to lazy summer days with my girls. Sure, they'll remain in Greensboro for the foreseeable future, and I won't be able to see them as often, or even whenever, I want. But I'll keep going there on a regular basis, and I'll find additional ways (beyond phone, email, IM, etc.) to stay in touch with them several times per week.

I'm looking forward to moving to a new place with D. This apartment just doesn't do it for us anymore. While it's convenient to live smack in the middle of Old City, this particular building is not worth the price. Fortunately, the lease is up for renewal in spring and we've already been toying with a few very good alternatives. The most exciting part, though, is that D and I are doing this together. It feels great to build up a new life again.

I'm looking forward to tying up some loose ends from my previous life. The only thing left at this point is the house in Connecticut. One of two things will happen within next few months: the house will finally sell, or we'll go into foreclosure. At this point I'm thoroughly disgusted with the whole process .. but that's the topic for another post. I just want to close that chapter of my life.

I'm looking forward to travel with D. It won't be anything spectacular (like a trip to Asia) as our other goals already will put a strain on our finances. But whatever the destination, I know that we'll have a great time. We were able to go on a few day trips in the last few months and each time was great fun. One possible destination for a long-weekend-trip is New Orleans. The main attractions would obviously be food and culture, but also the community rebuilding efforts. Both D and I are very much interested in learning more about how that city is slowly coming back to life. Perhaps there are ideas that can be implemented here in North Philadelphia.

I'm looking forward to completing my transformation to the "new me." There isn't much left to be done at this point other than making new and better habits routine, and tying up a few remaining loose ends. Of course, the former is sometimes not as easy to implement as one would hope, and the latter is turning out to be my own little Kafkaesque experience. But I have to admit, that while this transformation at times has been rather painful, it's definitely worth it.

There are a few more things that I'm looking forward to in 2010. Some are still a bit vague, while others are a bit more clear. But even if only half the things actually happen, one thing is certain: 2010 will be an exciting year!

-martin.