What I Learned in 2009

 Happy 2010! 

The start of a new year is always a time of reflection for me.  2009 was a tough year for a lot of people.    I stopped reading newspapers and switched off the news when I felt inundated with more details of foreclosures, job losses, and on and on and on.   The relentless spewing by the media just made it all worse.   I wasn’t operating in an “ignorance is bliss” state of mind but rather in an “enough already” state.  We know.  We all know.  So stop.


2009 was a transformative year for me.     I entered the world of blogging (after a false start in July 2008 – with just one post).  I started a garden blog to keep track of what I was up to.   I had no expectations – just making notes.  I had no “Followers”  or “Comments”.   Like a little church mouse navigating blog world.   Then when summer ran it’s course and the garden was dying off I found myself wanting to keep blogging.  I started to explore and found Suzanne @ Colorado Lady and I joined in her weekly Vintage Thingies Thursday posts.  It’s a big commitment to hold these weekly “parties” and I am grateful to Suzanne for doing so.  The thing with blogging is that it snowballs.  You just start meeting the most wonderful people and really come to think of them as friends.  This morning I read a post over at Tootsie Time and it was just what I needed at the moment.  Blogging, like real life, is all about the company you keep.  Now I won’t get into names but I have been blessed some superb company!

When I wake every day I try to learn something new.  No matter how small or unimportant,  I just like to say to myself  “Hmmm….I didn’t know that.”.   More often that not it is something totally random.  Information that I will never have a use for.   Most of which I forget by the next day.  Things like….

Did you know there are more chickens in the world than people?  I know!  Useful, right?

OR

How long would a 130-pound person have to walk at a leisurely pace to burn off the calories in a McDonald's Big Mac? How about a Burger King Double Beef Whopper with cheese?
A: Two hours and one minute for the Big Mac!  Three hours and twenty-six minutes for the Double Whopper!  Holy cow!   Now that’s good to know. 

Then there the other days.  When you learn something that makes you stop and think.  Something that starts as a spark and grows into a flame.   "Aha" moments.   For me, this year, it was something that would be life changing.  I learned about living in the moment.  I learned that since I cannot change the past, it’s best left alone.  I learned that if I spend all my time worrying about tomorrow, I will miss out on enjoying the here and now.   I have not mastered being “present” and sometimes have to mentally “cuff myself upside the head” to avoid straying but I have the knowledge.   And knowledge is power.   It’s what you do with it.   It really makes for a calmer me.

In case you stuck with me through this long post, I wanted to wish everyone health, happiness, love, prosperity and all good things on this first day of a brand new decade.  Cheers to 2010!

I’ll leave you with a fun little video that I thought you might like.   (It has over 133 million views on YouTube!)  Enjoy!