For Auld Lang Syne My Dear

Normally I would do this in my journal and not share it, but it has become a tradition of mine to look back on the old year as the New Year approaches. (The other tradition is watching the camp classic Army of Darkness.) Instead I think I’ll do it on my blog this year. It’ll certainly beat the normal course I take of complaining about the Pennsylvania Dutch tradition that calls for sauerkraut on this day. I still hate the tradition by the way, but I think I made it clear last year. I’m okay with the pork but skip the disgusting pickled cabbage.

While this has not been the best of years for me, it has certainly not been the worst and it seems that I’ve learned some things about myself and it is this I usually reflect on. I was finally able to start earning a decent amount of money online and that I can achieve goals if I stick to them. If this is simply because I might have Asperger’s Syndrome (which I’ve never been officially tested for but several people have strong suspicions it might be the case.)

All in all it does not seem to have been an incredible or Earth-shaking year as far as life lessons are concerned. The year my mother died and the events that led up to it were a much stronger test for me. While I think I understand what is meant by personal growth now, it was not immediately clear to me for a long time and while I think I have grown somewhat, I also know to be weary of such personal judgments because I am hardly unbiased when it comes to evaluating personal progress. I’m willing to bet most of my readers aren’t either, at least when it comes to evaluating themselves.

It’s been a relatively stable year for the most part and little has changed, but on the other hand it looks like it’ll be a straight line from here on out. I hope all of you have a Happy New Year and can suggest something to me to replace the sauerkraut.