As I look back at the year its been a lot more full than I originally thought. It certainly doesn't seem like a year since last Christmas but it has been.
But looking back at the year all I can say is Wow
January -- head to a ski resort to celebrate my son's 18th birthday
February -- head up to Rosswood, BC and find out that the contractor did a job that left me very sad. They said it was ready to move in but ....
Not exactly a useable shower if you ask me.
March -- Go on a cruise to the Bahamas and then spend a week on the beaches of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
May -- Did a 1600km trip to visit my mom in Saskatchewan
June -- My son's high school graduation
August -- Spent time living in my new home in Rosswood. My first glimpse of retirement and as a bonus I got to see the Northern Lights.
September -- Heading back to the gym with my son
October -- Went to the Philippines. Got to visit family and three breathtaking beaches as well as a couple of gorgeous waterfalls.
November -- My son flaked on going to the gym regularly so get a personal trainer
December -- Christmas!
Now a lot of people think it is the location that makes the difference. I'm going to Hawaii. I'm going on a cruise. I'm going to a concert. I'm going to a sporting event.
Big deal
At the end of the day pretty much all those are empty without people to share the experience with. Maybe the person is a tour guide, maybe a tour group, maybe a fiancee, or family. But in the end it is the people who make of break the experience.
The trip to Sun Peaks ski resort is made special by Richard, the awesome manager of the resort who makes everyone feel like they are at home. February was ruined by a contractor who charged twice what our contract said. The cruise wouldn't have been the same without family. Without my mom why would I ever visit Saskatchewan? The wonder in my wife's eyes when she saw the Northern Lights made all the difference. Seeing our good friend in Shemae in Sabang (Philippines) made that trip all the more special.
In short, without the people all of those special moments of the last year would have been relatively unmemorable.
Or perhaps I should rephrase that. One of the most memorable evenings in my life was probably 30 years ago watching an anime. Oh my Goddess, episode #1, moonlight and cherry blossoms. Memorable because I loved it so much and had no-one to watch it with. But again, it was the fact that it needed people to make it perfect that made the evening memorable.
Hive learners group asked for me to choose the most memorable moment of the year. That's pretty rough as its a bit like having someone ask "Who is your best friend?". But....what if you have a bunch of great friends? How do you choose the best? They are all special in their own way.
But thinking back on the year the most memorable moment will be a memory of a time when there wasn't a person around when I really needed one.
I've already told this story in my Actifit post way back in February. But the quick version--I'm in my cabin in the middle of nowhere in winter. I woke up at 4am one morning and have to rush to the washroom. I grab my slippers, unlock the front door, and run to the outhouse.
Then after doing my business I go back only to find out that the door has TWO locks and I only unlocked one. The other lock allows me to leave through the locked door but not enter back in. It is sub zero weather. I don't have proper footwear, I don't have proper jacket, I don't have proper clothes, I don't have keys to my vehicle, I don't have neighbors I can ask for help. The nearest store is 7km away which is walkable no problem with boots and warm clothes but trudging through the snow in slippers? and it won't be open for 5 hours? Ugh.
Well, luckily I found some clothes and boots in a shed which I didn't lock. Found some tools which allowed me to break into my house...although it did take two hours.
However, when I realize there is no-one around and its me vs sub zero weather. Makes me wonder..."This is going to be a seriously embarassing way to die". Of course I didn't die because I'm writing here today.
Still, near death moments do top the list of things I won't forget. And I like to think I won't make the same mistake again!
And if you are curious. That's the offending door, the SUV I couldn't enter, the outhouse, and yes, those were the slippers I was in at 4am.
My best times this year were with people whose company I enjoyed.
The worst times this year were with people who were unpleasant. Or times when I really needed people nearby and no-one was there.
But perhaps you have other ideas. I'd love to get your thoughts as I always love comments.
And even if you don't leave a comment. Thanks for reading this far, always nice to know my article gets a view :)
Thanks for reading
