As we finish 2009...

... There's something strange about the end of the year, any calendar year for that matter. It makes us wonder what have we achieved? Did we lose weight? Did we earn enough money? Did we become better people? (Whatever the hell that means nowadays) It questions us about our life and makes us wonder the extent of our achievements.
In all this wondering, we perceive the following year as a "clean slate" for some reason, we believe -and hope- that whatever we didn't achieve in the last 12 months, will be achieved within the following 12 months. Weird, I think, that we think so little of time as to believe it moves as the pages of a book, better yet: the pages of an old fashion calendar.
I don't know.
I am home now, for the holidays, and for the first time (in a long while) I have the opportunity to feel stress-free and have the time to concentrate better in what I've done with my life in the past five years. I am not a model of accomplishments I must accept, in fact, I am the kind of guy who pays all year round for a gym membership and barely goes at all! But, this is probably the first time I feel the passing of time. When I see my dearest of friends with their children, wives, different jobs... All of them reflect a part of a life I never contemplated and can be surmised with the word commitment. One thing I have always avoided and yet, seemed to follow me every step of the way. Professionally and personally, commitment has been present in my life and yet I have always -- nonchalantly-- managed to run away from.
Maybe 2010 will be the year when I manage to face such persistent reality of my life. Maybe I will make the commitment to face directly the different responsibilities that being an adult carry in itself.
Hum, that would be a very interesting concept.
Here at home, one of the most beautiful places that Peru has to offer, I find the peace of mind that allows me to see life in retrospective and, honestly, I cannot say I've done poorly in life however, I can say there's a lot to improve on.
Yes, I will definitely grab the opportunities that the "new year" will bring my way, for it is time to face new and better challenges, and come out victorious from them.
So let 2010 come already! Let's celebrate our new found goals in life and drink until all sorrows from not achieving our 2009-goals have disappeared completely. We all deserve a brand new "clean slate", don't we.