A Few 2014 Highlights

The US has deemed the war in Afghanistan over.  We now only have 11,000 “peacekeepers” (or whatever the current Orwellian term for army guys with guns in a foreign country is) staying there to help the Afghan police.    It was awkward for the peacekeepers whenthe Afghan police killed a US Major General.

Oil is at its lowest price in years and looks to be staying there for some time while Saudi Arabia crushes both the Russians and the frackers simultaneously in an amazing two-fer.

The Seattle Seahawks won the Superbowl in convincing fashion over the Denver Broncos giving Seattle its first championship team in decades.

The US economy continues to recovery generating millions of jobs this year.  Seattle has some of the lowest unemployment in the country.

I used once this year and have been sober for 302 days.  I have used twice in the last 26 months.  It is not perfect, but vastly preferable to how the average addict/alcoholic is doing.

I have taken action to be a happier person by deliberately practicing kindness, generosity and working doing a better job being of service to others.  While suffering more depression than usual, I also have better tools to work my way through to happier days being useful to others.

I have been more helpful to more people in a meaningful one-on-one sort of way than ever before in my life.

It was the warmest year on record in Seattle.  That made for nice weather and the biggest forest fire in Washington State history.

There is a lot of yin (shady side) to the yang (sunny side) of these highlight events—at least in the way I think about them and describe them here.  Few things in my life are all good or all bad.  Mostly they just are…things.

I wrote in this Gratitude blog every day but for when I was using.  That certainly makes my periods of relapse clear and is a very pleasant surprise to see how diligent my Gratitude blog writing has been.  It is one of the most consistent actions I have ever done in my life.  It has changed my thinking for the better.

I am grateful for the highlights of 2014.  It has been a good year.