Down here in Christchurch, New Zealand (aka QuakeZone), 2011 has been unforgettable - and not in a good way.
Admittedly, that first big quake - the one that set off all the others - was in 2010. But this year we've had literally thousands of aftershocks (some, incredibly, more violent than the original earthquake). We've shovelled silt and patched up our homes and grieved for lives lost and kept going because, really, what else could we do?
Businesses closed, job lossed started, money got tight. We all learned what it means when your house is 'red-stickered' and your land won't be saved. We all thought long and hard about how much we wanted to live in Christchurch. Some of us upped and left. Some of us chose to stay. Some of us had no choice.
2011 also saw Mother Nature throw us the worst winter in years. Very pretty and all that, but this year? When half our city had lost their heating? Really?
And it wasn't just l'il ole New Zealand that suffered at the hands of Nature. This year, disaster has struck time and again all over the world. Have I just been more aware of it this year, or have we really suffered more than the usual dose of destruction and devastation?
There have been some high-notes as well this year (thinks... thinks some more... ) but, whatever they were, they've been pretty much drowned out by the lows.
I can't wait for 2011 to be over and another year started, a fresh start made.
As for New Year's resolutions (shudders), I don't usually make them but this year I've surprised myself by dreaming up a couple of possibilities. Of course, turning them into resolutions will jinx them, for sure!
What's your resolution for 2012? Do you have one? Quick! Tell me what it is. Maybe it's something I haven't thought of, something essential to a rich and enjoyable life, and I could sure do with that next year.
