2024 Recap

 Well, what a weird-ass timeline have we been thrown into this year!  They're trying to tell us that the Bald Eagle is now officially our National Bird (when it always has been according to my knowledge), apparently aliens are living in the oceans (but they have yet to save us from ourselves), orbs and drones have been sighted in the skies along with a mysterious fog that doesn't act like real fog, and a host of other weird things going on.

Wild, I tell you; wild!

This year's booklist looks more like a slaughterhouse than a "read pile" with the amount of abandoned books that I did not finish.  10 out of 50 I left unread.  They were just trash, for the most part.  But I had some really stellar gems in those 40 that I did finish.  The most recent was a book called The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman.  That was a lovely gothic novel that I truly enjoyed and will be reading more of Ms. Stokes-Chapman's works in the future.  The other one I was really surprised by was An Intrigue of Witches by Esme Addison.  It's always lovely to find a nice local author, and even better when you find that they've written something magical that transports you right into the world they've written.  Even now, months later, I can still vividly recall how she set the scenes up.  Simply beautiful!

My goals for the year fared much worse than my booklist.  I wanted to have this separation all taken care of and done and dusted by the end of the year.  Unfortunately, it has been nothing but a long hurry up and wait.  I was hoping that I'd have my finances all squared away after dealing with it.  But, here I linger...waiting.  And to top it off, my car got totaled earlier this month, and I'm waiting on information on that before I get another.  So, to say my goals are a WASH is an understatement.  But, I've survived another year. So, that's something.

The year did have it's moments though.  

My niece has been a bright spot and watching her grow has been a lot of fun.  Spa days with her are the best days!  

Being in my happy place (iykyk) has also been wonderful.  Getting to hear those waves roll in gives me peace.  

In August I found my first live sand dollar while I was holding my niece's hand in the water.  So, that was  really cool!  

I had another hurricane on my birthday, but still enjoyed it!  I went to Tweetsie Railroad for the first time ever on my birthday week and that was cute.  Sadly, the weekend after Helene came through and destroyed a lot of the area.  Hopefully it will recover.

I celebrated 5 years at my second job this past year.  I can hardly believe I've been there that long.  And at my main job, I will celebrate 25 years of service  next year!  It's funny how I've been in the same sector for so long that people who knew me when I started in my 20's are now coming back into my life, and it's so delightful to see us at the (almost) end of our journeys.  After next year, only 5 years left!

I've got a lot of projects in the works for 2025, and I'm getting started on them already now.  And despite all the setbacks of 2024, I'm motivated to get those items crossed off my list.  I'm really optimistic about it.  Now, as long as my body and the universe cooperates!

Happy New Year

Loyalty

 "Loyalty is a prison to the loyal and a convenience for the recipients" ~My Journal 3/8/22

I've been thinking a lot about this statement I wrote in my journal a few years back and how true it was then, and how it remains true to this day.  And I've been reflecting on how I've turned my back on "loyalty" that is forced from me.

Perhaps it's the political climate we're living in where one party's loyalty to their chosen leader seems to be almost unhinged in it's ideals.  It's as if they're stuck in a prison of their own making and anything contradicting their view is a visceral threat to their well being.

Perhaps it's that I'm in a place now where I am not forced into fealty to a higher management's eccentric and irrational whims to prove that I am doing what's best for the organization, despite their desperate attempts to dismantle it piece by piece until all that is left is dysfunction and "yes-men."

Perhaps I feel more secure in myself and offer loyalty only to those who give it in return.  Those who are worthy of my effort. And those who have been through the fires of Mordor with me, only to have us arrive outside the hell-scape slightly worse for wear, but intact - loyalties forged even stronger than before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is more worth noting is the "convenience" of the loyalty.  How easily it was given by me in exchange for so little in return.  It didn't mean anything when I ceased giving my loyalty to unworthy people.  They just silently disappeared from my life.  Not even a word of protest.  Because it was more a hassle than convenience for them to try to keep my loyalty.  

This also includes brands and companies with their rewards points (or lack thereof). If there's not a brand loyalty program, or a strong brand quality assurance then I tend not to invest my consumer dollars in that brand/company.  I think on reflection, I make these companies and brands work harder in the past for my loyalty than I do the people, and jobs in my life.

Wow...that's sad.

But at least I have let the unworthy go.  Anyway, this is your sign, dear readers, to let them go.  A more updated saying is "If they _____, let them." Don't give your loyalty away to those who see it as a convenience.