my 2009 list

Okay, much like cat pictures [which I admit I love], the last thing the internet needs is another Top 10 list at the end of the year, or really at any time of the year. This year the lists are particularly rampant, because it's the end of the decade. If I sat down to write a Top 10 list, odds are I wouldn't be able to do it. It's like writing a paper with a minimum word or page count: you just end up bullshitting to meet the minimum [trust me, I've got enough experience between AP classes, university honors classes, and nursing school care plans to know].

So what do you do to combat this? Simply write, with no inhibitions, no quotas, no worries about editing. Without further ado, things I've learned and loved this year. Some are serious, some are silly.

• Don't put things off. Make no bones about it, I am a procrastinator, and it's come to bite me in the ass this year, whether it's having to write my RN staging narratives with a splint on my hand, or racing around Casa de Megan cleaning up evidence [of sloth, naturally] when Mama Z springs a surprise visit on me. Now, will 2010 show that I have learned from this? Most likely not, but maybe I'll start doing the dishes and laundry a little more often :)
• A kittycat can be very expensive, especially when he has recurrent urethral obstructions [special needs kittycat!], but the cost of the surgery is quickly outweighed by the unconditional love, the entertainment, and the sheer adorableness that is Mr. Tux. I don't regret one cent of the money I spent on my little furball!
• Beat poetry, and poetry in general.
• Family can be embarrassing, uncouth, and country, but when everything is stripped away, they're still family. {Missing you and loving you Uncle Wolf}
• Don't let other people control you physically or emotionally. I've spent over a year rebuilding my ability to trust and to love. Love does not do that. Love does not strip you of those abilities, physical and emotional control does. Love does not create fear, or make you do things you don't want to, or fly into rages.
• A true friend is someone who appreciates the stupid things about you--like old man laughs, "trick or trout," the movie Babe, and a slight obsession with the color PINK! Time can go by, but the foundation of a true friendship won't crack. [love you JOB]
• It's okay to take a day off!
• AAA is a good thing to have [obviously I mean the roadside assistance, not the medical emergency. Just thought I should clarify. Abdominal aortic aneurysms are very, very bad. Very.]
• We really take our opposable thumbs for granted. I spent 2 weeks in a splint because of a sprained thumb on my dominant hand, and still have residual pain and limited function. You use your thumbs for everything, from brushing your teeth to tying your shoes to typing and writing! And forget nursing, I was stuck on light duty...and even then you need your thumb!

peace and love,

m