10 Things I learned from 2008

10. Just because it was the year of the rat ("my" year), doesn't mean it was the luckiest.

9. The Midwest isn't so bad.

8. Yes we can! Yes we did!

7. The twenties are rough.

6. Photography is therapeutic.

5. Aging increases your sensitivity to the passage of time. It moves faster and faster and faster.

4. Coping with the loss of things you once had and admired is sometimes unbearable.

3. Transitions are easier when you're thinking about them for the long term, but terrifying when you readily face them.

2. The love of money is still the root of all evil. But having some would be nice.

1. Never give up.

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself;

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.