2011: The Year I Went Backwards

2011 hasn't been a bad year for me. Sure, it started out like most years. When things started, I wasn't exactly optimistic about how the next twelve months would play out. I was in a job that I seriously did not enjoy. I was in a place that I had made into a solitary and lonely place. The best thing I had going for me was my awesome apartment. But even that was empty, because I managed to close myself off from most of the people around me, whether they were close to me or not.

I can't say that this had been a bad year. Though, in some ways, it feels like my momentum this year was somewhat backwards, rather than forwards. I say this mostly because of the fact that when I finally got away from my life in Raleigh, it was to move back to my hometown of Roanoke. I'm not saying this was a bad thing, it just seems like something of an anti-climax.

At the beginning of the year I decided I would set some resolutions for myself. As I look back at this year, I'm curious as to how I did with that list of 11 plans.

1. Read my Bible more. I can honestly say that I didn't do as much of this as I had hoped to when I set this goal for myself.

2. Spend more time in prayer. And this one is a lot like number one. That's not to say that I haven't spent a great deal of time in prayer, just not as much as I had hoped.

3. Stick to a real exercise plan. HA!

4. Read 50 books. I didn't even reach the halfway mark on this one. According to my count, I only read 16 books this year. I can make the excuse that moving in the summer messed up my schedule. But let's be honest, I was way off track by the end of January. To get 50 you have to pretty much have a book a week. That just didn't happen at all.

5. Apply for no less than 2 jobs per week until I'm hired. I can't say that I did this to the fullest extent of 2 jobs a week. But I did eventually find another job. At first it was within the bank, but it was a promotion and it was in a different area. Then I got a completely different job with a completely different company. I'd say that counts as mission accomplished. I guess.

6. Watch all 100 of the AFI's 100 greatest films of all time. Again, this is one that I didn't even get halfway through. I can blame Netflix for part of it. But I just didn't make the time to watch these movies as quickly as I could have either. I'll try to finish them up in 2012. But I've noticed that my posts about these movies are less than popular. So I may just do that one for myself and keep it off the blog. Thoughts?

7. Learn to like coffee. I bought a coffeemaker. I bought coffee. I even got a decent coffee mug. Never brewed a single pot. And then I left my $15 coffeemaker in North Carolina when I moved. Epic fail.

8. Visit, or at least communicate with my family more. I think I was successful with this one. Most of that could be due to the fact that I now live nearer to everyone on Mom's side of the family tree. But I'm gonna count that one as a successful resolution.

9. Visit, or at least communicate with my friends from college more. Also one for the win column. Need proof? Remember the epic road trip? I think that counts.

10. Completely finish writing a novel. HA! Fail.

11. Spend more time doing the visual arts stuff that I loved back in high school. Like the first couple resolutions on this list, I didn't do as much as I had hoped. Some, but not a lot.

Didn't do so well on those resolutions. I think I'll save myself the heartache and just not make resolutions for 2012. I may change my mind if I decide I need something to post in the new year, but for now, I have no plans to resolve myself.

2011 wasn't a bad year. Overall things were pretty good. Up until December. December seemed to come along and kick me in a sensitive spot, laugh while I was down, then decided to kick me again as I tried to get back up. On the bright side, midnight tonight brings a new day, a new month, and a new year. Maybe my resolution should be to be more optimistic.