2016 Year In Review

Wow, I've never really done a year in review.

But 2016 was a pretty momentous year, for me and, really for the world.

I realized I was suffering anhedonia - totally unable to feel anything; no excitement, no anticipation, certainly no joy. Better eating and exercising has curbed this, thankfully.

Donald Trump became the president of the United States - something that nobody thought would happen. I'm happy about it, and concerned at the same time.

I've really bonded with Lola, despite my anhedonia. We spent almost every summer morning in the dog park, where I met a good variety of people and made connections. Now I take her after work sometimes, and on weekend mornings.

The dog park we go to, Jardins Lavigne, is vast and has a forest abutting it, so we walk for an hour or more on wooded trails, coming into clearings now and again.

Here's a video from last Saturday (January 21).

I also spent my summer, before finding gainful employment, going to garage sales with the garage sale gals (my mother, aunt Linda, Paulette, Kim and Sarah). Every Saturday I would go to Tim Horton's on the corner of rue Principale and Wilfred-Lavigne and take pictures of all the sale signs.

Then I'd go home and type them up, grouping the streets by neighborhood.

Also in the summer, I went hiking at least once a week on Sundays, but often twice a week, on Wednesday and Sunday. I led the Early Riser Sunday hikes regularly for many weeks in a row,, and made some good regular connections. Quite the social butterfly.

Oh, and I said it was a momentous year. Well, I really, really put my mind to it and I got a job, one that I really enjoy, and it's so close to home. Such a bonus to not have to commute.

This job in records management was only supposed to be until January, but now I'm here until October, at least :)This job totally suits my personality, working all alone in a quiet basement office, working with documents.

And, though I mourn the loss of my other hobbies - my photography, my scrapbooking, my mountainbiking - I think the garage sales, hiking and crochet have made up for it. Yep, I've been crocheting now for just over two years, and am still hooked (lol).
Here are some of my recent projects:

This is the year, too, that I found I had friends. In fact, I have four friends in this region; in addition to the garage sale gang, there are:- Sarah, Jivka, Carrie and Chantel. I feel downright extroverted, haha.

I think that is momentous.

In sadder news, though, my Aunt Heather passed away from cancer in October after a really long and steady battle.

And famous people have died, and I am ever  more increasingly aware of my own mortality, too.