Sunday, January 01, 2006

Dear 2006,

Hello, and welcome! My name is samantha, and I believe in magic. I just thought we should get that out of the way right up front.
When you arrived last night, I was in the middle of a group hug with several very nice girls. I'd been a little worried about how the evening would go--I'm not very good with strangers. But people are so nice here, and somehow I found myself having fun. Earlier, TMS had stopped by to try out my new couch and be snarky about my wardrobe ("Samantha! Be sassy! I know you can do sass. Short skirt and tall boots, right now!") before heading off to the Central District to meet up with his newest girlfriend. Eventually, the night degenerated into a drunken dance party and macaroni and cheese.
I am very glad to see the end of your predecessor, 2005. Even though the joke is on it and I survived longer than it did, it was still as a whole a pretty shoddy year.
I'm not going to do a year-end review. While I did come up with a few things that don't make me want to stab myself in the eyes, I largely wrote a whole mountain of rubbish. It's a little embarrassing, really, the twelve months of poorly constructed sentences. But then, it's been years since I've claimed to be a writer. I know better now, especially since 2005 introduced me to a few real writers.
I noticed, scanning my archives, that I threaten to break into a million pieces at least once a month. And I have exposed my weakness to touches on the backs of my knees and the small of my back far more often than is ladylike.
But it's best not to dwell on what's gone by. That's something I'm trying to teach myself not to do. Instead, 2006, I'd like to look at what I'd like to see in the future, during you. I'd like to make new friends and actively appreciate my old ones. I'd like several miracles, a few days of sheer joy, and maybe another heartbreak or two for spice and to keep me on my toes. I'd like flowers and adventures and monkeys, five epiphanies, and a few new really good recipes.
I want to learn to not take things so tragically, to shave the edges off of my lows so that I quit stabbing myself with them. I want to savor the things that make me happy so that I can make other people happy, too.
I plan to use you up, 2006, to squeeze everything I can out of you. And I dare you to do the same thing to me.

love,
me

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