What Have I Learned This Past Year - 2003
December 31, 2003

People from Texas to California looked upon the cold February morning sky and saw a beautiful streak of light. They were soon horrified to find out that the Shuttle Columbia was lost. I have learned, once again, that heroes are more than sports figures; they can simply be a Cheney High graduate with a desire to see the stars. New Yorkers may remember 2003 as the first time they could look up from Times Square and see the heavens providing the only light in the sky. Terrorism, even after two years, is still on everyone's minds. Both these events made America think, "Is it happening again?" We entered in another war, with a familiar enemy, however, this time it was because a flawed reasoning. We were not shocked or awed but we watched from our television sets. It may be Mother Nature who had the greatest impact in 2003. From SARS, Flu, California Wildfires, record heat in Europe, Mad Cow and earthquakes, it seems that Mother Nature ultimately has control. And once more, we saw Lance Armstrong do it again in 2003, an accomplishment that no one will ever doubt.

For me personally the lessons were familiar but important. I learned that hard work and dedication for the past fours years had merit and purpose. A payoff, that left me with more challenges to overcome. I discovered a career path in Higher Education. It only took 21 years. It is very different from the architect I wanted to be in the second grade. I learned the joy of honest work and volunteering. I learned about Irish Car Bombs and brick oven pizza. I learned about the random events in ones life all coming together in one surreal September night. That night being when I had dinner and drinks with my fifth grade DARE officer, Jerome Delvin. It was part of Dr. Jordan's Goodwill Tour. The other board member in attendance lived only one block away from Brian's House in Richland. I probably passed her in the grocery store or on the street many times before I would work with her at Eastern. How surreal is that? I learned about weddings, having three of them this summer, I met my quota. Finally, I learned how to say hello, in person, to a good friend, one that I had not seen in a long time.

It seems that life is flashing before my eyes. I closed my eyes only for a moment and it is no longer summer, but the cold of winter. We live in a remarkable time and it is our time to seize the day. Live life to the fullest, dream, wonder, and explore, you never know. A really smart and cute girl once told me this quote, "It is better to aim for the stars and miss, than aim for a pile of poop and hit it." Better yet, this Old Italian quote, "It is better to aim for the stars and drag your feet on the tops of the trees, than to aim for the highest mountain, and drag your feet in the mud."

Happy New Year, I know this one is late this year…