Good Riddance to a Craptastic Year

Let’s be completely honest: two thousand eleven wasn’t all bad. There were some good times sprinkled in among the terrible. A great girl came along. New writing opportunities came up. I took some good trips. But, in general, twenty eleven was not good. Not good at all.

I missed a lot of opportunities, squandered some others, and completely wasted a few more. For the first time in my life, I walked off of a job (and though it felt really good at the time, in hindsight it was a terrible decision). There were some phone calls and emails that I didn’t make that I regret almost daily.

I had my confidence as a writer shaken to it’s core, something I’m still trying to get over. It turns out that there actually is such a thing as being too honest, and I found out first person what happens when you let the absolute truth fly through your fingers without giving it a few seconds of consideration. People get angry, and you get told – sternly – to watch your step.

There are some people who, when 2011 started, were my best friends in the world but now I’m not so sure. It amazes me how much a decision made in self preservation – for my own happiness – has come to haunt me. Those people have proven to me the difference between friend and acquaintance. And poser. I hope I’m wrong about them, but I fear I’m not.

I turned thirty this year. This isn’t really such a bad thing, but it does give one pause and begs life’s priorities to be reevaluated. There’s no denying it anymore I’m an adult, and as such I have no excuse for not acting like it.

But, this is a new year. Two Thousand Twelve will be a good good year for me, whether it wants to or not. I refuse to make the same mistakes on this calendar that I made on the last.

This January First I live in a new place, have a great new girl, have reconnected with my tried and true core of friends and – somewhat thankfully – have a blank slate as far as employment is concerned. All of that, as far as I’m concerned, means that I’m in a perfect position to start this new year off right.

The suckitude that was 2011 taught me a lot of lessons, and reinforced some that I had previously refused to learn. This year, I will not repeat my mistakes. I will work hard – in all facets – to ensure that I come out of this year a better man.

I’m not (publicly) stating any of my goals, the only thing I’m declaring – because if you’re reading this you know me well enough to tell if I’m being successful – is that I will do everything I can to make 2012 a success.

Because, let’s be honest, 2011 was a failure and I won’t fail again. I’m too old to get beaten buy another year.