In just a few days a brand-new decade will dawn, full of promise and wonder. I was reviewing the last decade and because I still think 2003 was ten years ago, I sort of ended up reviewing two decades, instead. (Clearly math was not one of the skills I mastered in the last 20 years…).
Since we hit the 2000s, I have lost family members, including several aunts and uncles, a cousin, both grandmothers, my stepmom and my mother. I have also gained a son (and since my daughter was born mid-1999, I’m going to count her, too), some new brothers-in-law, several new nephews and multiple great nieces and nephews. I have lost touch with some friends and gained new ones; I have also maintained and treasured friendships that have extended back well into the 1980s.
I have been involved in, and been a leader of, a Mother’s Club and Girl Scouts and a union. I have traveled solo (-ish… I was with a group or with a friend) to Japan, and also to Rhode Island (where I finally saw the Atlantic Ocean). I have also traveled several times to Disneyland (with my family or Girl Scouts), and multiple times to Las Vegas (including a memorable trip wherein I married my husband again when we renewed our wedding vows on our tenth anniversary).
By my count I have owned two houses, three cars, three cell phones, three washing machines and three laptops. I have had five fish, two guinea pigs and two cats. I have covered three (or four, depending on how you count or how they are labeled) pant sizes, and gone up a half size in shoes. (They warned me this would happen, but it still boggles my mind how that happened.) I have graduated from cheaters to three eyeglass prescriptions (all legitimately in the last decade, practically beginning on my 40th birthday). I have given up sugar in my coffee and given up skiing.
I have overcome my fear of computers (I was worried I had broken something – or would break something – when we got our first computer and often wailed for Matt to come fix the error message when it popped up) and my aversion to guacamole (texture issues). I have tried sushi (a hard pass), pupusas (on the fence) and wine (still not a fan, unless I add 7-Up which is a sin in Sonoma County). I have overcome my kids’ food allergies/intolerances with substitutions, well before everyone else discovered what gluten and alternate milks were. I have also perfected my fudge recipe, which may be the accomplishment I am most proud of (oh, hang on, besides my kids).
I have held multiple jobs, including nanny, in-home childcare provider, a freelance writer, a features editor for a family magazine, a yard duty supervisor and a paraeducator.
I have taken correspondence courses and classes at the JC and taught myself to quilt using Pinterest and trial and error. I have also become educated about autism and discovered how fierce and passionate I am as my son’s advocate, along with an assortment of new vocabulary (proprioceptive input, sensory diet, vestibular input, meltdowns, cognitive therapy, perseveration and IEPs to name a few).
As we enter the new decade, I wonder what’s in store. I know my comfort zone will be tested, and that it will grow. I am willing to bet enjoying sushi or taking skiing up again are on the table for any comfort zone I could possibly foresee. I anticipate learning new things, as I am firmly convinced we never stop learning and seeing new places.
Two decades ago, heck, one decade ago, probably, Pumpkin Spice Lattes didn’t even exist, so maybe there will be some new food or beverage I’ve never heard of that I will try? Maybe I’ll visit another state or find another group or club to belong to. I’m sure I’ll make new friends, and add to my extended family, and most likely lose some loved ones, as well. Whatever it holds, I am eager to embrace it and grow.
Happy New Year, and may it be peaceful, prosperous and healthy for each and every one of us!
