Goodbye 2006

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Oscar Wilde

Well, the new year is almost upon us and it only seems fitting to think a little bit about 2006 before it passes us by for good. I can safely say that I learned a lot this year, took some chances, won some and lost some, thought some big thoughts, had some nice cuddles, cooked many meals, danced up a storm, sent many emails, edited a shitload of video content, started blogging and posting to YouTube and became a techno addict.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
Albert Einstein

The other day I was getting some papers signed at Champlain College in anticipation of my upcoming classes. I had that weird new student feeling, probably in part, because it has been over 10 years since I was last in school. I wasn't sure where the right building was or who was supposed to sign this piece of paper. I felt awkward and unsure and that felt sort of nice.

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.”

Confused, I ended up outside again facing down Main St from the middle of the hill. The sun was setting over the water and the little town of Burlington appeared straight out of a children's storybook. To be specific, it reminded me of the bustling town of Market Chipping from Diana Wynne Jone's book, Howl's Moving Castle.

I have a distant memory of this view, one so old and time worn that I am not even sure if it originates from a dream or an actual memory. For the many years that I've been absent from Burlington, I've remembered this hazy memory of this view and mused about it.

I sped along mazes of freeways and bridges, traversed BART trains and MUNI, watched the ocean ebb and flow - but there was always a special place in my heart for this view and for this town.

"Hope is the dream of a soul awake.”
French Proverb

And even if I am sometimes conflicted about being here, I had a positive moment of clarity standing on that hill looking out over my town. I know I am supposed to be here right now and I am glad to be here. It feels right.

And as 2007 rolls around, I have hope. Hope for a new year filled with exciting new challenges, struggles, lessons, learning, and experiences. Hope can be hard to come by. As years pass and life loses its youthful luster, it is sometimes hard to hold out for hope and a new day.

But looking out at this magical landscape, it is impossible not to feel hope. And I hope I have hope until the day I die. Because really what else is there?