2015 Highlights and Lowlights

For some reason I kept wanting to write about how awful 2015 has been to me. I kept stopping myself. I mean, yeah, things have been hard this year. Things sucked. But I'm not a Syrian refugee, a victim of terrorism, afraid to be a Muslim in the U.S...no. I'm just a middle aged woman to whom shit has happened this year.

As I continued to think about the last year, I realized, although much was completely sucky, so much of it was good too. So I thought I would create a little highlight blog of things that happened, good and bad. I think it will give me some closure of the awful things and help me remember the awesome experiences I had this year.


We'll start with the lowlights and get them out of the way. 

1. Books continued to get pirated. I gave up trying to save them. Sigh. 
2. Writing was a non-factor for me this year. Just no time.
3. Got trapped in Ocean Shores after a huge storm. Had to stay three extra days. The town of Hoquiam was hit hard by the damage. 
4. My father's ex-partners turned on him. This is a long, sordid story, but it lasted all year and was awful and devastating to many. All turned out for the better eventually, he is happy at the office he's in now, but we were all disappointed at how fast my philanthropic, kind, gentle, wise, hard-working father was back stabbed.
5. My work environment was hostile for about 4 months which put a lot of stress on me.
6. Then I lost my job.
7. I couldn't find work for about 6 months.
8. My best friend stopped talking to me.
9. My chronic fatigue and depression hit me hard this year. There were days I could barely get out of bed. Days I wanted to run away. 
10. People I love were plagued by mental health issues and addiction. Sometimes I could help, kind of, but mostly it just made me feel useless, like there was nothing I could do.
11. Watching my children go through frustrating, difficult, unfair things that are out of their control and mine.
12. People my age died. At least 4 or 5. Some just dropped dead. It's sad and scary and I will miss seeing their faces and it makes you think about your own health, your own mortality.
13. Had to cancel a couple trips for personal or medical reasons.
14. No boyfriend, no dates...frightened of becoming cat lady with no cats.
    
15. Lost a freelance job I really liked. Had to quit another freelance job.
16. My mom being burglarized while she slept. Of course, it went viral, but still, scary.
17. Having my basement flood and getting my yard dug up for a small fortune.
18. Continually butting heads with the school district over  policies damaging to those they affect.
19. Younger daughter coming down with mono at the end of the year. Oy.

Now, the highlights...

1. My Hawks went to the Superbowl again. Totally exciting. I'm hoping we can have a
   
   three-pete, we shall see. This led to...
2. My dad going to the Superbowl. Awesome!
3. I saw some great live music: Ian McFerran, my brother's band, Death Cab, 21 Pilots, Alabama Shakes, Cage the Elephant. Actually meeting Cage the Elephant! 
4. Took a beginning graphic design class. It was awesome.
5. Won $1200 at the casino.
6. After about six months of not speaking, I reunited with my bestie. Best thing ever. 
7. I went on amazing vacations and road trips. I went to Arizona - twice. I also attended a few rodeos with one of my best friends, Deann and her daughter Jordan, who participates. Drove many times to the ocean, whether alone for some down time, or
   
   with friends or family. Moses Lake for fourth of July with my bestie, Heidi. Austin, TX, a trip which I actually almost hated had it not been from my awesome friend Rachel.
8. Lots of good nights out with friends.
9. I joined a gym. And I went. Maybe not as much as I wanted to, but I went.
10. Doing work now that I love including freelance writing and contract marketing. And now the wine shop, eventually taking over. 
11. I coined some funny shit.  " a couple penises just slipped through" - referring to Google searches.  "phone full of dicks" - referring to online dating.
12. My parents, my two kids, and my siblings all turned another year older. Which means they are still alive. This is always a good thing.

And what about the world? Our country...

The bad: 

• Bill Cosby
• Subway's Jared
• The Duggars
• Deflategate
• Climate change
• Killings of black men by police officers
• Mass shootings
• On air shooting
• ISIS
• Paul Ryan
• Wildfires
• Donald Trump
• Terrorism in France
• Syrian civil war and refugee crisis
• Attacking Planned Parenthood
• The loss of: Mad Men, Leonard Nimoy, Stuart Scott, Beau Biden, Bobbi Kristina Brown, Frank Gifford, Wes Craven, Yogi Berra, Lesley Gore, Maureen O'Hara, Omar Sharif, Percy Sledge, Ben E. King, Anna Meara, Christopher Lee, Moses Malone.

The Good:

• Iran Nuclear Deal
• President Obama
• Pope Francis
• Opening Cuba
• Legalizing same-sex marriage
• Caitlyn Jenner
• Bernie Sanders
• Star Wars
• Homelessness declines
• Unemployment down
• Jimmy Carter
• Transparency
• Beatles on Spotify
• US wins Women's World Cup

Quotes I will live by for the next year...

There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle. ~ Robert Alden

There is nothing we cannot live down, and rise above, and overcome. ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

You can not find peace by avoiding life. ~ Virginia Woolf

Have a safe and sane New Year's Eve.