Old Year, Old Hat

Bloomberg has an article in today's newswire stating that 2008 may have been the worst year Americans under 70 had ever seen. I have to disagree. This past year was probably the best year I have ever had. There were downsides, as with anyone's life, but there were so many more high notes in the year.

When I started 2008, I had been a few weeks into my new campaign job, crashing with my parents and trying to find my way around my fairly new (just a couple months) surroundings. Since then, I enjoyed the thrill of a victory in February, meeting a presidential candidate and the agony of defeat, twice, leading to my loss of a job.

That would be quite a year for anyone, and some would say I didn't have a good year. But that couldn't be farther from the truth. When I look back on 2008, I will say that was the year that changed everything. It was a year of fantastic firsts and wonderful lasts, great gains and amazing losses. It was a year when I truly learned that you can live a great life with little resources.

The obvious monkey on this post is that my year was capped off with a trip to Africa, something I had never done before. But the truth is that the year was a start into something new, taking chances at uncertainty and action on goals. You can tell from the photo taken in the winter of last year and the fall of last year what changes can come to a man's life. And it all didn't happen because of some New Year's resolution or a near-death moment. It happened at a wedding in April.

When I went to Minnesota that month to see an old friend get married, and visit with other college mates, I heard a speech I never thought would happen. The groom, a man who is probably a bigger Sooners fan than I (and that's hard to beat), stood in front of all his friends and admitted that he is now a fan of Notre Dame, as well. For those that don't know, OU has some bad blood with Notre Dame that spans more than 50 years when they ended our 47-game winning streak.

What was interesting wasn't that he decided to root for the Irish but why. Because factors in his life made him want to root for another team, namely his now-wife. His devotion for her and his growing together with her enabled him to support a team that he would never have considered backing just five years ago. He didn't change because he had to, but because he wanted to.

Hearing him say those words led me to make my own changes. On my return to Chicago, I made my own decisions. I decided to take better care of myself and take bolder steps towards my goals. When I arrived and my dad had word of a possibility to go to Africa, it was another push towards the change in who I am.

Throughout the year, with all the campaign events and gym sessions and church planning, I made the changes I wanted to make. Not to become a different person, but to become the person I have always been. I learned a lot of who I am along the way, too. I learned my love of politics has severe limits and that campaigning is not the life for me. I learned how research and writing has always been my passions (even if I am no Ken Follet or Pete Hamill). I learned working out can be a real joy. Above all, I learned that there can be great moments in life, no matter how many problems you can face at one time.

It's almost fitting, then, that one of the last pictures I took in Africa was of the sunrise. The image of a new beginning on teh day as my trip was ending was also the image of the new beginning in my life. I have lived all across this great nation, experienced things many people read about and met leaders many have only seen on tv. Now, I am ready to take a new step and see what else is out there. That doesn't mean I'll head out today to travel the world, but everything I do will be for the goals in my life. I want to make sure I don't miss any opportunity to continue to grow and to take every chance to have a great time doing it. Because while reaching the end may be the plan, the trip to the end is what life is really all about. So, here's to 2009. May it be a enjoyable as last year, and filled with many more new beginnings, for everyone.