Welcome, 2011!

Each year, as the calendar rolls over from December 31 to January 1, we take a few moments to contemplate both our pasts and our futures. This is often a time of great hope, renewed energy, and high motivation.

I am not one for making silly resolutions that I'll never keep simply because the date is January 1; but at this time of year, I can't help taking out just a little bit of time to look back on where I've been, accept how far I've come, and glimpse the road that stretches ahead.

I got distracted a little earlier today by the Los Angeles Times's online "Year in Review," consisting of 106 reminders of the biggest things that happened in 2010 – some good, like the rescue of the Chilean miners and Prince William's engagement; some bad, like the suicide of Tyler Clementi and the devastating earthquake in Haiti; and some open for our own interpretations, like the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl and President Obama having to get stitches after a minor basketball accident.

I decided to come up with my own small “Year in Review.”

In 2010, I traveled to New Orleans, to Punta Cana, and through every state between Florida and Illinois. I saw Mary Poppins in the theater, Bon Jovi in the arena, and all of the Chicago Bears on the football field. I went Rollerblading in the park, lounged on a pink raft in my pool, and caught my first fish. I left a job that had made me miserable for three years and started one that fills me with joy every single day. I got technological and bought my first smart phone. I got spoiled and received my first e-reader. I lost a couple friends. I gained a whole lot more. I became someone's Godmother, I became someone's aunt, and I became someone's wife. I changed my name. I changed my style. I changed some of my goals. But as the clock struck midnight this December 31, I was prouder than ever of the ones I'd achieved.

2010 was a good year, perhaps the best one yet. Someone reminded me the other day that it isn't a contest, and I suppose that's true. But no matter how good a year we've had, I believe that every December 31, we all hope that the year to come will be even better. And even though it's technically just another day, doesn't it always seem that the sun shines a little brighter when it comes up on the morning of January 1? Perhaps that's a silly notion. But perhaps we should try to keep the hope of New Year's Day alive for the other 364 of them. I wonder if it would make a difference...

Happy New Year!