R.I.P. 2008

This year has been a year of lessons.  I can honestly say I think I learned more this year than the two years I spent in grad school.  Some were more traditional lessons, while other came flying out of left field, and caught me in the chin.

So, in no specific order, here are a few of the more notable ones.

1.) Working in advertising can be amazingly rewarding.  I get the joy of seeing the fruits of my labor everywhere.  On my drive to work in the morning.  When I open the newspaper.  Or flip through the channels on the TV or radio.  It's the coolest thing I have ever experienced.  And while sometimes I feel like a dork for being so excited, I really hope that I never lose it.  Because that would mean that I don't care about what I'm doing.  But, it comes at a cost.  While my successes are available for the whole city/state/nation to see (depending on the client), so are my failures.  This year brought my first fail, followed by my first public humiliation via blog.  It wasn't Motrin or Pepsi caliber, but I felt it all the same.

2.)  We are given only one life to live, which sounds cliche, and it is.  But it wasn't my life that I watched fade away.  Luckily, she is getting better, and looking to make a full recovery.  I learned a bit more about patience and hope that if I ever find myself in that place I can have a rosier outlook because of this experience.  

3.)  Building a house is difficult.  Not going-to-poke-my-eye-out-crazy, but you really have to watch these people or else they will walk all over you.  Luckily, it seems that many of them react after minimal prodding.  

4.)  Know who your true friends are.  It's a lesson that has always been hard for me.  And even in the last minutes of 2008, I found myself the student once again.  I have always, always been a 'people pleaser.'  I try so hard to make people happy and go with the flow.  I have a tendency to get quiet when exposed to a large group.  For some reason, if I'm talking to one, two or three people I am fine, but if that group gets much bigger, I clam up.  I just get uncomfortable with that much attention on myself.  So, I usually just become a people watcher/listener.  I like being around the big group, I just feel more comfortable watching.

We went to a large party last night.  One where several of my work friends were going.  Friends who are married, just like me, right around our age.  I've been invited out a few times with them, but not consistently.  So, I was curious how it would go at this big party.  I ran into a few other people that I work with and we were having fun.  Hubby went to find a place to watch us dance (as he was not joining).  He came back a bit later, saying he had run into the group we were looking for.  We went up to see them.  We sat down at their couches, and after about three minutes of talking, they all got up, one said, 'Bye,' and they walked about ten feet away where they stood.  By themselves, without us.

It was very painful, to be so rejected by people who are SUPER nice to me at work, but apparently want nothing to do with me otherwise.  I can't understand.  I am friends with each of them on an individual basis, but when they get together, the group think is that I am not good enough.

There were so many more, but I won't continue boring you with what this year taught me, because I could go on for a while.

So, goodbye 2008.  Goodbye fake friends, I'm better off without you.  Goodbye cancer, I hope not to see you again.  Goodbye public humiliation, I know better now- it was a painful lesson, but one worth learning.