To sum up

It's hard for me to sum up 2007.  Or, actually, it's hard for me to sit around with friends and sum it up, because for so many of the people that I know, 2007 was defined by a single, massive, year-defining event.

This was the year one of my friends fought breast cancer, and another fought lymphoma.

This was the year that two of my friends (and one of my cousins) had babies.

This was the year that two of my friends' marriages ended.

This was the year that one of my friends lost his father.

This was the year that one of my friends passed the bar exam.

This was the year that two of my friends retired.

And I can look back and remember that this time last year, I had my condo on the market (and was sure I'd be in a house by now), but that came to a screeching halt in March, and I spent the better part ("better" only in duration, surely) of this year with plastic sheeting covering half my living room while I was at the mercy of the homeowners association, the management company, and several contractors.

And, sure, while I can look back over the year and think of fun things and trips and accomplishments, they've mostly faded -- either blurring with other years' memories, or mixing with more "insignificant" memories like playing with my cat or reading a really good book.

But, basically, for me, it was a year more defined by other people -- whether it was events in their lives or their somewhat frustrating control over events in mine.

No real resolutions this year -- just a vague promise to be a little more cognizant of when this is going on, and (and if you'll forgive the unfortunate similarity to the Serenity Prayer) a decision to take a more active role in the things that I can.