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Usually, if I’m not aimlessly surfing across the vast reaches of cyberspace, I’m scribbling ideas into a notebook or doodling on any scrap of paper I happen to have laying nearby. I guess I’m always trying to find a new way to use ink to show the world my thoughts without ever actually interacting with it.
That’s why the moments in my life when I am pulled away from the security blanket that I call cyberspace and thrown into the world of people are rare and novel for me. I use think about them as these wonderful deviations from a life that is meant to be spent never leaving my house. There are times when I don’t even really know for sure if I’m in the same world anymore.
When I was perusing through my growing collection of Reverb prompts this morning, looking for something that just screamed out at me, I came across this one:
A Moment in Time – Tell us about one moment that you lived in 2011 that you will never forget.
I knew when I read it that it was the prompt for me today, but at the same time, I didn’t really know exactly how to answer it yet. The last few months have felt like an increasingly large gift that just keeps piling on great things, people and experiences, and it’s hard to just take one moment that I will never forget. I thought about the rush of finishing my NaNoWriMo, or the warmth of a house full of family for Thanksgiving, and even having my parents back in my life in the flesh, instead of just a disembodied voice on the phone.
From there, I started thinking about how those experiences shaped me, and the amazing things I’ve experienced this year.
Early in January, I got scared about my father’s health, and it woke me up to a few problems of my own. I’m still struggling to come to terms with what I need to do to fix my life, but I am still working on it. I haven’t given up just yet, but so far, I’m not making the progress I wanted to.
I also had a great experience eating Ethopian food with some amazing friends. It isn’t something I think I’ll ever forget. It was an amazing night.
In the spring, a slight shock ran through my family as my grandfather passed away. It was the first time in years that I saw some of my extended family. I had spent so long away from them, I had forgotten how much I needed them in my life. That weekend let me resolve that I would make an effort to be in their lives more, so that I could have them in mine.
Back in July, I found out that I love Pinot, but you shouldn’t mix it with Merlot. Trust me when I say, that is one lesson I WILL NEVER FORGET!
Of all the conversations that I have had with my brother, the one that we shared on the drive up to Montana back in August was incredibly profound for me. Stuck in a car for something like 20 hours, we talked about everything from zombies to heartache. He helped me finally put the last pieces in place to let go of my failed marriage and move on.
Then, Chris and I did something we’d been talking about for over a decade, we recorded ourselves being awesome and put it on the internet for the first time.
Yep, my year has been pretty full, and that doesn’t even scratch the surface. There are other things that I will never forget. Time spent with friends barbecuing. Nights spent at bars nervously waiting for a drunken riot to ignite around me.
Even a new blossoming romance.
All in all, 2011 was a year of great moments. I hope that I can build on that and turn 2012 into a year of legendary moments.
And 2013 into a year when we all have to fight off our evil reptile alien overlords.