What a Year for a New Year

It’s finally here: New Year’s Eve.

Break out the bubbly and let’s all thank God.

In many ways, 2012 was a bit of a letdown for me.

Things didn’t always go according to plan.

I was disappointed and discouraged.

I kept to myself a lot, sometimes out of necessity, and often felt out of the loop on life.

I lost patience waiting for change that never came.

I grew tired of putting on a brave face and acting like things were good.

2012 left me with unfinished business, and endings to plotlines that still need writing.

This year, I find myself listening to Dan Wilson’s song “What a Year for a New Year” and really agreeing with its sentiments.

And yet, I can’t really call 2012 a bad year. How could I, when events like Hurricane Sandy, and the shootings in Aurora and Newtown, happened.

My year wasn’t anywhere close to as bad as it was for people directly affected by those events, or those who dealt with other unfortunate circumstances.

Perspective is important at times like these

I’ve always chosen to look on the bright side of life. And indeed, while 2012 may not have been one of my favorite years, I was incredibly lucky to have gotten through it the way I did.

Equally important, I have plenty of good memories, and lots of positive experiences to remember.

I left my job, a source of much stress, anger, and frustration, and enjoyed some time “off” — time I filled partly by taking on freelance and contract work, and in general, recharging my batteries.

The Red Sox sucked (there’s no other way to say it), but I still enjoyed some festivities for the 100th birthday of Fenway Park.

I traveled to Las Vegas and Florida.

I had a great birthday.

I was shown lots of love and support by my extended network of friends and colleagues.

Barack Obama was re-elected.

I heard some memorable music, saw some awesome concerts — including three nights of Bruce Springsteen (most memorable among them being the summer-making second Fenway show) — and enjoyed some fantastic movies.

My niece and nephews came to visit me twice.

I got over my issues and had a blast reconnecting with my high school class 20 years after our graduation.

I got out and walked and/or ran — more exercise than I’d had in a long while.

And so on.

Despite some professional struggles, personally I had a pretty good year. Check out some snapshots of those good times in this video:

In the end, I’m calling 2012 an interesting year, one filled with its share of ups and downs.

Despite any negativity or relief I feel as the calendar changes over, I can say that 2012 hasn’t killed my hope and optimism. I know 2013 will be a better year — and not just because my life lately has been cyclical like that (2009 was awesome, 2010 was not as good, and 2011 was much better) so it has to be.

When the clock strikes 12 tonight, I’ll be toasting to the end of this year and celebrating the chance to start fresh in a new one, with the promise of bigger, better things on the horizon.

I’m ready to hit the ground running in 2013. Let’s get it started.

How was 2012 for you? Will you be celebrating the end of the year, or are you sad to see it end? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.