Bear Bones

Greetings Bears!!  Here we are--Christmas has come and gone (and man-o-man did I eat WAY TOO MUCH)--standing on the precipice of a new year: 2008.  According to the Chinese Zodiac, it's the Year of the Rat.  Now, I am not Chinese, but in their zodiac, I am a rat.  The Chinese Zodiac is based on a twelve year cycle with a certain animal assigned to each year.....As the rat goes back in time, we see 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972 (DING! DING! DING!  My birth year), 1960, 1948, et al.

 

So, 2008 is my year once again!  What am I gonna do with it?  The possibilities are endless, of course, but I must define and set some certain goals so I am not wandering aimlessly about.  I must confess to finding this an exhilarating proposition.  Not only do I get January 1--a new day, a new beginning, a clean slate to design a great year; but also I get The Year of the Rat--my year--to make the most of my life.

 

The gym and my workouts are going to be an important part of 2008.  That goes without saying.  But I am also going to try as many new things as I possibly and feasibly can.  I want to get a passport.  I've never had one and I've never been outside the borders of the United States.  One of my goals before 2008 winds down is to visit another country.  It may only be Canada or Mexico...but they count!

 

I'm going to throw myself back into my writing.  I've been working on a screen play for two years now that I still have not finished.  I am going to finish it in 2008, regardless of trying to sell it.  I just want to complete it and feel that sense of accomplishment.

 

I guess the most important goal I have is to let go of some of the old ways and attitudes that have held me back and kept me from experiencing certain things and meeting certain people.  I can't list all my limitations, but those of you who know me personally know full well what I am speaking of.  I want to experience as many new things as I can, and I can't let old ways hold me back.

 

1996 was the last year of the rat.  Then, I was just a few months out of college.  I was standing on the threshold of my adult life.  I can't say that I am proud or pleased with all the decisions and choices I have made in these past twelve years.  But they have brought me to 2008 and helped make me the man I am today, standing on another threshold.  Now, it may not be as wondrous or uncertain as the path that lay before me in 1996, but there are still new and exciting experiences and new journeys to enjoy.

 

My best wishes to all of you for a wonderful and happy new year.  Rat or not, make 2008 your year too.