2008

To encapsulate a year in one blog post seems mightily overwhelming, but as an exercise in brevity, here it goes. My "top ten list" of lessons learned in 2008:

10. I am less adaptable to change than I like to think.

9. Life is a constant lesson in humility.

8. My calling in life is NOT to work with elementary school children. This knowledge increases my level of respect for elementary school teachers.

7. My identity is so much more than just what I do for a living. A crucial point to remember in upcoming years.

6. My tolerance level for ignorance and stupidity is very low.

5. Good and loyal friends are worth their weight in gold...and if I could, I would share that gold with all of them. Assuming that I either won the lottery or became a leprechaun, of course.

4. Sometimes decisions must be made that you don't want to make, because neither outcome seems appealing. And in the end, even though you chose the best solution, you may not be happy. But sometimes it's not about you.

3. Family is one of the most powerful forces in existence...through thick and thin they are still your family. No matter what. Forever. And ever...

2. There is a very good reason to only get married one time: weddings. The light at the end of the tunnel is marriage...which is the greatest and most rewarding challenge I have ever undertaken.

1. Life swirls and changes around us every second of every day, and its unpredictability is part of the excitement and terror of living. It means that above all, I am not in control. I will be learning this lesson every day of the rest of my life.