(this post will likely be added to over the course of the day)

The daily med I posted today is a comment on the day, and me.

At first glance, its dark — some have said post-apocolyptic — and a little frightening. (and, no, I don’t know who the artist is.) You know what caught my eye? The architectural  detail and form. To me, this is a city emerging from the landscape, pulled by the person walking away from it in the foreground. There is a story here, one I might tell if the Muse graces me.

That does a lot to describe me — I tend to see past the dark stuff and see the best, the bright, the good. But I have a dark side, a self-critical, mean, sad persona that lives within. Much of my life is spent in assimilating her — in accordance with my spiritual beliefs. To ‘cast her out’ would be wrong . . . and a waste of energy as light cannot exist without the dark, and dark without the light. Holding both within, in a state of equal tension, that is the life task.

On and around my birthday I spend a lot of time reviewing my past year. What goals did I accomplish, what did I do that wasn’t on my list but nonetheless worthy of acclaim? Each year I have several things that I didn’t intend, and just as many (sometimes more) that I don’t achieve. That’s life. It makes good fodder for the coming year.

This year, for the first time in more than a decade, I lost weight. I’ve partially created an updated cookbook (I made one about a decade ago and my tastes have changed). I’ve started a crafting journal (finally! a place for my ideas and completed project notes so I don’ have to re-create them each time). I didn’t overspend my clothing budget (and actually spent money on good clothes). I met, and exceeded my savings goal. I opened a ROTH IRA (which will be fully funded by the end of ’08, I got a late start). Facing North is on a regular update schedule. All of those things were on my list of to-dos.

I started a new book. I installed a new kitchen sink and faucet. I made several sets of curtains. I trained a puppy. I made a conscious decision to ‘reach out’ more at the office and lower the walls I have between me and a (fairly) hostile work place. I got more HR training and saw a career coach to make sure my head was screwed on right as far as how I’m doing things. (And learned a lot about myself at the same time.) I took a break from JM and went back to it with renewed interest and energy. I bought ‘real’ furniture for the house, painted several rooms, and renovated the ‘bonus room’ so that it is a real guest/workout/craft room. I started donating money to worthy causes. I began to blog more often, with an eye towards being more exposed to the world. All of these things were not on my list.

Its been a good year. Here’s to the adventures of the coming year!