I'm tempted to say "Good riddance, and don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out" to the year 2015. Not a good one for me by just about any measure. It will be a blot on my life forever.
But, 2016 will be better! Whatever I have control of, I will do better. Whatever the year throws at me I will try to handle better. I'm determined to NOT let the past get me down, and not let it defeat me.
Not even the event of November 17th.
A neighbor across the alley lost her 19 year-old daughter to a car wreck back about 5 or so years ago. She aged a lot afterwards. She rarely gets dressed, and is withdrawn, sad, and tragic. When my daughter was killed I made up my mind that wouldn't happen to me. It would be a horrible legacy for someone I love. And I think I have done fairly well.
For weeks afterward I wanted to stop every stranger I passed and tell them what happened. I didn't, but I wanted to. I mostly limited talking about it to this blog and Facebook. That was therapeutic and allowed me to get things off my chest without letting them take over my life. So, say what you will about Facebook (and I agree with the criticisms), it did serve a vital purpose in my mental health this past month and a half.
Anyway, I am determined that, to the extent I can control things, 2016 will be better.
And I hope yours is better for you, too. See ya next year.
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