I spent last New Year's Eve with someone that didn't want me there. I've heard how you ring in the New Year can be telling. And it was. Lesson learned. So this year, I made a better choice and decided to celebrate the New Year with the ones that love me most...my kiddos! We had visits from one of my very good friends and my mom throughout the day. Then we made appetizers and drank sparkling cider and played board games. The Game of Life brought out the best and worst in each of us. We argued and laughed our way into the New Year together. It was perfect!I sat here on the first day of 2020 and I sipped my blueberry coffee. The taste brought me back to the first time I had that flavor 7 years ago as Oz and I sat in a divorce lawyer's office. We were paying her by the hour to listen to us argue. It would have been cheaper to stay home and fight for free, but neither of us could figure out the paperwork on our own, so there we were.
Reflecting, I realize how much I have grown since that time. I used to wear my grandfather's rosary beads around my neck and spray myself with sage before trying to mediate with Oz. I wasn't great at controlling my temper. I was short sighted and didn't handle the unknown very well.
Having had some years of practice, I am navigating life and adulthood much better now. Adulting took some getting used to. But, it hasn't been so bad. Thankfully Oz has stayed one of my closest friends over the years and his warm-hearted wife is a very effective mediator when needed.
Luckily, despite the learning curve I went through, the kids are turning out to be pretty good people. According to Luccio, "Life is the best right now!" I have to say I agree and that's thanks to good friends, supportive family and these Goofball kids that are the greatest part of my life.
Happy New Year!
