This is the year of --

We still have a month and a half to go this year, but I've been reflecting on all the big and little moments, the details of the heart, that have played out in my Life in 2008. Here's a sprinkling of them....

This is the year of:
*The broken heart
*Luna's pirate status
*Having the best bowl of soup I've ever tasted, at Crema, with Meagan
*Watching Twin Peaks with Tara
*Meeting Glenn, a kindred carnival soul
*Starting work at Our House
*Mom almost losing everything
*Mom staying true to herself -- and once again proving the ultimate role model through her integrity of character
*Aaron returning from Scotland and moving in with Stephenie
*Jordan taking a chance with dating again
*Equus
*Getting close to finishing my novel
*Alanis releasing her best album ever -- and introducing "Torch" into my personal music tapestry
*Reconnecting with Amanda Peterson, a childhood friend from Chicago
*Reading more and more and more, with a vengeance
*Making amends with my melancholy-demon
*Facing myself in the (figurative) mirror
*Erasing "doormat" from my list of personality traits
*Walking my talk -- and expecting others to do the same
*Throwing out my knee in a major way
*Staying in a tree house resort
*Giving more dolls homes
*Getting my new tattoo and deciding on my next one
*Knowing Tara sees the real, raw, core of me -- and loves it
*Taking more time for myself
*Mom slipping down the basement stairs
*Becoming more and more comfortable with the Gray Zone
*Falling in love with Felicity all over again
*Kicking the Boogeyman's ass
*Embracing Ray Bradbury as one of my favorite authors (Dandelion Wine should be required reading for each person in this country)
*Meeting someone whose totem animal is the blue-ringed octopus
*Losing Grandma Lilly
*Saying "no" to my father
*Saging the San Raphael home (and my own NE neighborhood with Mom)
*Seeing ghosts dancing in the trees in the park by my house
*Deciding to get my own place next year, and to get a little kitten
*Inspiring Jess
*The Twelve Months of Christmas contest
*Coming up with the term "ProFAGonist" with Robin
*Obama getting elected (Yay!)
*Some friendships falling apart
*Some friendships gaining strength & momentum
*Learning to be comfortable hanging out with just myself again
*Hanging out with Devin and Debra in Wilshire Park
*Going for that awesome walk in Forest Park
*Spending more time with Jerry
*Embracing all the childhood awe of Halloween and all of October
*Luke, Tara and Brad's dog, dying unexpectedly
*Tara and Brad buying a home
*Letting go of some imaginary idea of perfection
*Adding secret magic messages to chalk drawings
*Stumbling upon that huge bonfire with Mom, Jordan,and Tara, the moon full above us, the lighthouse casting a beacon over the ocean
*The strong heart

We lost a resident at Our House last night, and he was filled with elegance and grace, and today we all walked out, in a procession with candles, to help him onto his next Adventure as the blue sky burned crisp and dry and fresh above us.

More to come later.

Love,
N