2009 seems so odd to me.
It's an awkward-sounding year. 2000 was nice and round. 2008 was a big and crazy election year. 2010 sounds so fascinating and science-fictiony. But 2009 dawns bulky and worrisome for me.
I visited Washington D.C. over the holidays, and it's gearing up for the biggest event this side of the American Revolution - the inauguration of Barack Obama. Regardless of my or others' political views, my greatest feeling as we near January 20th is that I am fearful for the safety of our nation's capital. Not just the architecture and our various assortment of national treasures, monuments, museums, and government leaders, but for the untold scores of souls that will be descending upon the Potomac's shores to be part of this historic occasion. I can't help but think "What if all the safety measures, anti-terrorism plans, and military might can't stop an attack on the US on this day?" What if the unbelievable happened? What if the man upon whom so many have invested their future is destroyed before he can bring about his change? What if this gathering of our nations' leaders is wiped out? What if the 2-4 million Americans expected to attend are killed in one fell swoop?
Would this be the end of our nation?
Heady thought, that. I shuddered as I typed it just now. I don't know whether I really believe it could happen, but I find myself making myself think about it.
But say that it doesn't happen. What then? If all goes according to plan, and the inauguration goes well and happily, and Obama's presidency begins (relatively) smoothly, and Comedy Central loses the majority of its entertainment fodder, and we all go back into our daily lives, what then? What does 2009 possibly have in store?
I cannot speak for anyone but myself. I plan on making 2009 a year of resolution and restrategizing. I need to get myself healthy again, by taking better care of myself and making more time for my kids. I need to work smarter instead of harder. I need to pray for more patience and wisdom to deal with my personal and professional life. I need to enjoy life beyond simply struggling to live it.
2009 is the year of my 15th undergraduate college reunion. It's the year of my 14th wedding anniversary. It's the year I turn 37, my oldest daughter turns 9, my youngest daughter turns 5 (ack!) and my husband turns 40! But I'm not there yet. I still cling strongly to 36. I have little desire to see my children leave 8 and 4, and, although I have some preliminary plans for celebrating my husband's 40th, I'm a long way away from taking action on them.
In the meantime, I'm in the middle of an academic school year. I don't generally think of the year as a January - December affair - I'm on the August - May plan. I'm in the middle of fixing the courses that I taught last semester, making them better for my spring semester students. I'm in the middle of a new series of books that I seem to be enjoying reading. (The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - juv fiction.) I'm in the middle of trying to figure out how I'm going to work in the energy and determination to exercise every day. (It's January 5th, and, since it's only now a Monday, I still haven't officially started that resolution yet...... check back with me next posting to see how that's going.) I'm in the middle of remembering myself as a young, exuberant woman, and imagining myself as an old, wise (but tired) one.
2009 is the year for me to face the reality that I'm no longer young, but I refuse to be old. (I believe Marilyn Monroe was 36 when she decided she'd stop there; I don't agree with the suicide-as-youth-preservation approach.) It's the year for me to be kind to others, pray for the safety and advancement of our nation and our nation's hopes and dreams, and do my part to help advance those hopes and dreams. I like the future. I look forward to finishing a novel someday, seeing my children become teenagers (sort of) and getting a woman who knows what she's doing into the White House's center seat.
But it's still an awkward-sounding year. I wrote a check this morning and dated it appropriately, but it took a lot of concentration to do so. I'm certain it will be 2010 before I've decided to fully embrace this awkward and odd year - 2009.
But cheers, anyway - a bit belatedly. Welcome to 2009!
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