2008 - A Year for Myself
As the calendar rolls over to 2009 the papers and blogs are full of retrospective looks at 2008. I don't generally do a year end review but 2008 was unusual and might be something worth looking at. The most remarkable occurrence was a non-event. I did not work for pay. I did look for work, I was available for work, I was not too sick or injured to work and I did not refuse any work. These activities qualified me to receive unemployment for which I am very thankful. Unemployment allowed me to live my year for myself.
Many people have commented that they would be bored or run out of things to do not working. I did not have this problem. I went a lot of places in California - Monterey, Humboldt, Lassen, Benicia, the New Academy of Sciences, Joshua Tree and out of the state - Mexico, Nashville, Albuquerque, New York, Maine/New Hampshire. I hiked a lot. I kayaked a lot. Not working during the week left me free on the weekends to stay up late, to drive out to a friends house, to lend a hand for a party, take a class at Home Depot, to pretty much always say yes when someone asked me to go somewhere or do something. I've come to see that being well rested is very underrated. I had the energy to seek out people and activities, even do some volunteer work. Many people commented on how relaxed, how happy I looked. And really who wouldn't be relaxed and happy not having the stress of work. Though of course I will soon be feeling the stress of not working, so far I've been able to keep that pretty much at bay.
2008, was a good year, a happy year, a restful year. I could stay home and read all day, I finished Zelda, Rayman Rabbids and made it most of the way through Mario Galaxy. Somehow I didn't blog a whole lot or paint much. Hopefully those activities will increase in 2009. I did of course take a lot of pictures of the many happy times. In 2008 I spent time on myself and in turn allowed me to give more time and energy to others. In 2009 I hope to be able to take the good qualities of 2008 and continue to enjoy life as I look for and enter into new employment and new adventures!
Many people have commented that they would be bored or run out of things to do not working. I did not have this problem. I went a lot of places in California - Monterey, Humboldt, Lassen, Benicia, the New Academy of Sciences, Joshua Tree and out of the state - Mexico, Nashville, Albuquerque, New York, Maine/New Hampshire. I hiked a lot. I kayaked a lot. Not working during the week left me free on the weekends to stay up late, to drive out to a friends house, to lend a hand for a party, take a class at Home Depot, to pretty much always say yes when someone asked me to go somewhere or do something. I've come to see that being well rested is very underrated. I had the energy to seek out people and activities, even do some volunteer work. Many people commented on how relaxed, how happy I looked. And really who wouldn't be relaxed and happy not having the stress of work. Though of course I will soon be feeling the stress of not working, so far I've been able to keep that pretty much at bay.
2008, was a good year, a happy year, a restful year. I could stay home and read all day, I finished Zelda, Rayman Rabbids and made it most of the way through Mario Galaxy. Somehow I didn't blog a whole lot or paint much. Hopefully those activities will increase in 2009. I did of course take a lot of pictures of the many happy times. In 2008 I spent time on myself and in turn allowed me to give more time and energy to others. In 2009 I hope to be able to take the good qualities of 2008 and continue to enjoy life as I look for and enter into new employment and new adventures!
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