Seconds slip away...

Well, here I am in the last few minutes of 2004. Unlike the last few years, I'm currently at work, waiting for the movies to finish up and the strange people who come to a movie on New Years' Eve to go home. In a few minutes I'll be at Katie's lovely party, celebrating the first few hours of 2005 with good friends.

But in this few minutes that I spend in limbo, I find myself contemplating the last year. Plenty of good things have happened, as always happen over the course of a year. I spent quality time with wonderful friends, I worked hard and got good things accomplished at both of my jobs. I have a good family that loves me, I get to hear all about the new things my nephews are discovering as they grow up. I could list lots of wonderful things, small moments seeing beautiful clouds or stars, huge moments of success.

With the good, of course, always comes the bad. Why is it that, when you think back over the year, the bad things spring to mind with so much more ease than the good things? The last few months for me have been especially difficult. Thanks to a failed audition, I am no longer a student at BGSU. I'm having difficulty dealing with my personal life. Things seem so much more difficult to handle, and though I know there are lots of people who care about me, it's hard not to feel alone sometimes. I feel restless, like something's about to change, and I don't know what's going to happen.

But, I remind myself, these are the ups and downs of every life. Every day, every hour bring new joys and new challenges. And New Year's Day is not the only time that you can have a clean slate. Every day gives us a chance to fight the hardships, to remember the good times, and to work on making our lives and the lives of others better and happier.

I hope that you, my gentle readers, have been blessed this 2004, and that you may continue to find happiness in the coming year. If you do the resolution thing, good luck. My resolution is to floss more. :)

But for now, 2004 has packed its bags, and he's clearing out posthaste! Welcome 2005, are we glad to see you!