Goodbye, 2010

[ladysprite]

So long, 2010. You've been a mixed bag, start to finish.

I've never been a big fan of making resolutions; in general, I just do my best to grow and learn as time moves forward. But I do like to do my best to look back and acknowledge everything that I've learned over the past year - it's a tradition I picked up from a dear, old friend, and one of my favorites.

So, what have I learned from 2010?

I learned that patience is generally more useful than panic.
I learned how to make soap.
I learned that I have 187 cookbooks, and that most of them are more useful than I had thought.
I learned how to make ravioli.
I learned that topical epinephrine will stop uncontrollable bleeding.
I learned a lot about muscular dystrophy in Labrador Retrievers.
I learned that sting rays are friendly, curious, and feel a lot like wet leather.
I learned that there are things about myself that I can't change on my own - but that I can, with help.
I learned that there's a lot more to taking care of myself than eating right and exercising, and that I'm not as good at those other things as I'd like to be.
I learned what sweetbreads taste like, and that vanilla and salmon make a better blend than I had thought.
I learned the bare-beginner basics of how to spin poi.
I learned that the SCA has a better sense of humor than I had feared, and that if I ask half a dozen of my friends to get up in public and dance the Thriller dance, they will leap at the chance.
I learned that my friends - and people in general - can be breathtakingly, heartbreakingly, world-changingly generous if given the chance.
I learned that 60 miles is not too far to walk.
I learned that tpau and I make a killer team in just about any setting.
I learned that, no matter what shape you're in, dehydration can still kick your butt.
I learned how to properly use henna, and that it makes at least as good a hair coloring agent as the chemical dyes I've been using, if not better.
I learned that hang-gliding is quite possibly the most amazing experience in the world.
I learned that my friends are far too fragile.
I learned what it feels like to lose a father figure, and to watch my husband hurt more than I know how to heal.
I learned what it feels like to go to a (semi)-political rally, and that seeing that many people in one place, being cheerful and polite to one another, is pretty mind-bendingly cool.
I learned that sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is to end a toxic relationship, no matter how scary it may be to do so.
I learned that keeping warm makes a huge difference in my frame of mind.
I learned that what I do is appreciated much more by other people than I had thought, in a lot of different settings.
I learned that I have enough friends to fill my little house to bursting at a holiday dinner, and that that feels pretty darn awesome.

When I look back, it's a little shocking to me to realize just how much I did this year - it didn't feel like a lot at the time. And while I'm a little afraid, when I think of it and wonder how I'm going to make next year measure up, it's also kind of amazing to think that I - *me* - I did all of this. And that I've already got plans in the works for next year, and that if past experience is any reminder, it'll be even bigger and more full than this one.

So, what did you learn from 2010?

Comments

[tpau]

i learned that i am in a better shape then others think but not as good a shape as i think

i learned that i am not that handy no matter what i think

i learned that you and i can do ANYTHING if we set our minds to it

i learned that while i like to help and want to be needed, when push comes to shove, i don't always know HOW to do so and am too chicken to ask

i learned that really, brains matter and smart is more important then pretty. now if i can learn to apply that to boys, why can't i accept that it may also apply to me?

i learned that i love my work. truly and passionately. but not my commute nor my actual job.

i learned that if i put my mind to anything i can do it.

i learned that sometimes i can't deal, and it is ok.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

I learned that, even as I grow undeniably old, my ability to learn new things - and my interest in doing so - doesn't wane.

I also learned a lot about working around the parts of my brain and body that aren't as limber as they once were, in order to keep learning/doing/enjoying life.

I learned - and continue to learn - that learning never stops, that we are all works in progress and that the journey is way more important than the destination.

[auntiemame67.livejournal.com]

Oh, hai. The greatest reward is in the seeking, not usually the actual finding. This is why I dislike "and they lived happily ever after". I'd rather know that they went on to more adventures and more discoveries. I know I do!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should consider my year in terms of what I learned. Not least from you. :)

[jducoeur]

I learned that yes, I'm a pretty good manager, although programming is still more fun.
I learned that, whatever my own skills, teaching others and watching them succeed is at least as satisfying as doing it myself.
I learned that enough friends can accomplish a remarkable amount, remarkably quickly, and that we have a lot of friends.
I learned that I can usually cope with "now" (if some days better than others) -- it's the might-have-beens and fears of what might happen that destroy you. Or at least, I've learned that intellectually: really internalizing it is still a work in progress.

[serakit.livejournal.com]

Well, I've just learned that dogs can get muscular dystrophy. I never knew that before.
I've learned that cooking is plausible if one just concentrates on it.
I've learned that vegetables actually taste pretty good.
I've learned that some self-help books are good, some are not, and none should be taken as truth without a reality check.

[citabria]

Before I answer your question....

I learned that topical epinephrine will stop uncontrollable bleeding.

Seriously? In humans? How do you get topical epinephrine? It sounds like something I might want to keep a little bit of in my knife kit, if there aren't horrible side-effects.

What did I learn....

I learned that I'm not too old to learn new and nifty things.
I learned that I'm capable of being on my feet for upwards of 16 hours without becoming incapacitated or having any ongoing problems because of it.
I learned that I love, love, love cooking professionally, no matter what I'm cooking.
I learned that, sometimes, it feels really good to just do dishes.
I learned that it's really, really hard to not be able to fix it when someone you love is really hurting and scared.
I learned how incredibly difficult it is to face defaulting on a mortgage.
I learned that I really am capable of reporting to work at set times and working 40 (more or less) hours a week on an ongoing basis.
I learned that my husband is even more awesome and understanding than I thought.
I learned that I really miss some of my friends, far more than I realized.
I learned that I miss having friends living near me.
I learned that there's something incredibly wonderful about holding a bunny on my lap and chest, watching and listening as she practically inhales a piece of collards.
I learned how easy it would be to fall victim to Munchausen's Syndrome with my bunny.
I learned that asking my husband to help me won't make the world stop turning.
I learned how wonderful it is to watch someone cook.
I learned how balletic cooking can be.
I learned that I can chicken out of really nifty plans, really easily and for no good reason.
I learned that I need to grow some balls if I want to succeed in this business.
I learned that yoga can completely transform me and my life.
I learned that working and housekeeping don't mix.
I learned that Teem is very, very good at doing laundry, to my eternal gratitude.
I learned how very, very easy it's been to get used to having a washer and dryer in the house.
I learned that, if I'm getting enough activity/exercise, I can eat pretty crappily and still trim down.
I learned that, when I'm not cooking full-time, I start compulsively overeating again and gain back everything I lost on the job.
I learned that I feel incomplete when I'm not cooking.
I learned how to make sourdough from a wild starter!

And, last but not least, I learned how incredibly nifty an exercise this is -- thank you!

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

I learned that topical epinephrine will stop uncontrollable bleeding.

Seriously? In humans? How do you get topical epinephrine? It sounds like something I might want to keep a little bit of in my knife kit, if there aren't horrible side-effects.

OH GEEZ NO!!!!

Uncontrollable bleeding like life-threatening surgical situations, not like cut-your-hand situations! And even then, it's a last resort.

And there is no such specific item as topical epinephrine - I took a bottle of injectable epinephrine from our emergency crash cart, and used it topically. It was... a work adventure, and a memorable enough one to be one of my learning experiences for the year.

Sorry for any confusion! (And I'm glad you enjoyed the exercise, and your list is awesome!)

[asdr83.livejournal.com]

#5- That was a scary but useful lesson
#6- Is doing well as long as he doesn't over excercise