Happy New Year!

What a year this has been for me. I started out 2008 wanting to accomplish one thing -- find a new job. It wasn't that I didn't have a good job, I just didn't have a job with a future. And I needed to look ahead and see that I could do more, be more, make more. I ended the year knowing just that. Of course finding that job meant leaving my friends and my family and there are days when I'm still not sure it was worth it; though I think there are more and more days when I know that it was.

This year, like many others, I'll be making my resolutions. I've got a few already. For the most part they're just my basic credo: live better, feel better, do better. But I like the idea of a resolution. One of those evangelical preacher types has had some success encouraging people to live a "purpose driven life," and while I don't really ascribe to the evangelical ideology, I like the idea behind living with purpose. One of my goals this year is to continue to open myself to change. I'm starting that by continuing my weight loss efforts. My friends and I will be competing in a "Biggest Loser" competition and while I agree that even if we lose we win, I want to win! I started today with a brisk walk. And I'll finish it with some freshly made kielbasa and cabbage. I was hoping to have a few mimosas courtesy of my former boss, but I think I'll save that bottle for the final weigh in and share it with friends. This year is a year of even greater possibility and I love the optimism that comes with it. I'm sure the cynicism will resume around March, maybe sooner, but in the meantime, I'm going to bask in the glow of what's ahead.