2006 in review

This won't be a year that I'll be sad to see go. It's been a drama-filled year, full of twists and turns not unlike an old, rickety, wooden roller coaster.

Sandra has challenged her readers to list 10 things they've learned this year, and I'm going to see if I can't rise to that challenge -- and then some.

1. Hating the sin but loving the sinner is difficult. No matter how much we want to kid ourselves into believing that we still love the sinner, it's still an enormous stretch to hold firmly to that belief. Human nature would dictate that we hate the sinners, on some level, BECAUSE of the sin.
2. Leaving the door open, without restrictions, continually invites them to step through and, eventually, they do.
3. While I will never be ready for my son to leave home, I realize it's time for him to go out on his own and make his own way.
4. While it may seem that leopards can, in fact, change their spots, it's an illusion -- a fancy bit of camouflage.
5. Charmin Ultra does not fit on the toilet paper roller.
6. No matter how much you want to, you can't make someone happy who is so immersed in their own unhappiness as to make it a way of life. Do not tolerate or otherwise enable their negativity and unhappiness -- like laughter, anger and negativity are infectious.
7. Artichokes aren't so bad after all.
8. Shit floats to the top. Just take a look around.
9. It's not foolish to consider your pets to be of the same caliber friend or family member as their human counterparts and the loss of those pets is no less than the loss of their human counterparts. We miss you terribly, Tig.
10. Just because some people are users, not everyone is. For everyone out there that will use you and make you feel bad, there are dozens more that will treat you with dignity, respect, and human compassion.
11. Family is important -- even the uncles that nobody likes to talk about (or brothers...or parents...or...).
12. The quality of my life improves exponentially with each day that I have Lisa in it. I like the person I am with her love. But my life doesn't just stop there, and each day that a new person enters into my life, whether I choose to believe it or not, they shape my future and affect how I see the world and the people in it.
13. Knapp Jammin' Strawberry wine tastes like ass and, even when mixed as a "spritzer," it tastes like an ass spritzer.
14. Pot holders and oven mitts are not meant to merely accessorize the colors in a kitchen.
15. Children are a lot tougher than we give them credit for and every adult could take a lesson in toughness from a 5-year-old.
16. Old comfortable sneakers eventually stop providing support. Sometimes, no matter how much we love them, we have to step out of them and into a new pair.
17. Menopause sucks, but will eventually end.
18. Even though this year will finally end, it's impact and lessons will live on.

I've had a wonderful period of time off and am looking forward to eleven more days yet. I have had the privilege of having Lisa at home with me for five of the last seven days and, when my 16 days off end, I'll have had the privilege of having her home with me for eleven of them.

Hope your final days of the year are peaceful and joyous, and that the new year brings peace, prosperity, and a host of new (good) lessons.