End of 2008 ... some thoughts.

As 2008 draws to a close, I find myself thinking about this same time last year.

 

What's really odd is, despite all the turmoil in the economy, the deteriorating wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan ... I actually look forward to 2009.

 

Last year-end was quite depressing for me for a number of reasons ...

We had a lot of political instability and uncertainty. I seriously was considering the prospect of relocating the family outside the US should John McCain had won the upcoming election. I even thought the same thing if Hilary Clinton had won.

I had taken on a consultant job, and though the contract appeared to be secure, as is always the case, I had this suspicion that it would eventually end. This after spending all that time, energy and money to relocate.

Our house back in the Seattle area had been on the market for 6 months, with no end in sight. Watching all the equity we had built into it slowly disappear due to the impacts of the market, and realizing we'd entrusted selling our house to a person who had no business being in the industry any longer made the holidays very hard to bear. I think I aged 10 years in the process.

Since my daughter was born, and my son was still sleeping in our bed, my wife and I had been doing shifts on a regular basis. Of course I haven't had a decent night sleep since September 2005, so what else was new?

This isn't to say life is all rosy and perfect. The struggle to achieve my goals and dreams still remains. But at least I have some things to look forward to -

 

For one thing, I'm seeing signs that the American public is finally coming to its senses. It seems it takes the country being brought to its financial knees to finally see the light - that installing right-wingers into public office is a really bad idea. I for one am looking forward to Barack Obama taking office on January 20, 2009. I suspect many in the country and world feel the same way.

 

I landed in a nice company. I finally tired of consulting and all the politics of it, I finally landed at a place with some degree of sanity. It's a much smaller company, but they put out a great set of products, people are great to work with, and are open to my ideas. I consider myself really fortunate here, considering the rising unemployment rates.

 

Our house sold, and we've settled, at least for the next few years. We live in a nice house, and the neighborhood is far more calmer than the ghetto of Lombard St. and Interstate Ave.

 

Of course I've still got a laundry list of things to accomplish. But given how trying a year 2008 has been, I'm very grateful and thankful I haven't lost the things important to me. I'm here, and the family is doing well.

 

And 2009 will hopefully be the year I move closer to achieving my goals and dreams.