Things that went right in 2011

So, it has been 2 and a half years since I recieved my degree from UNBC.  It has been more then 5 years since I attended University full time.  I wrote all the time when I was attending school full time.  Be it taking notes about the lectures I was attending, jotting down pieces of information that I may use for assignments, or piecing together something that I was to submit to a Professor, I was always writing something.  Then, I just stopped.  I have taken a few work related courses in the last few years, but the last time I wrote something that required any amount of thought would have been sometime in 2006.  I can't really tell you why I stopped.  Other interests got in the way.  I regret that this happened because for quite sometime I thought that I could make something of my writing skills.  My ability to put together a coherent essay using colorful language was something I took pride in.  I lacked researching skills, but I was generally able to overcome this when it came time to put together a short essay on a variety of topics related to politics.  An essay on Pakistani/Indian relations holds a dear place in my memory bank, as it recieved a favourable mark despite my poor research.  I also managed to write a 3000 word essay on the sustainability of Reindeer farming amongst the Sami people of northern Scandinavia, despite my last minute realization that very little information was available to me.

Looking back I feel like my departure from writing was all part of a bigger personal problem.  Simply, I let myself go.  I spent much of my time lazing around, not accomplishing a whole lot other then keeping my daughter safe, working with Sheila to keep food on our table and a roof over our head, and generally just staying afloat.  I had a few minor personal accomplishments during this time, but I truly feel that I started to turn a corner in this past year.  Many great things happened to me and to my family as a whole.  I am going to outline a few of these things in the coming posts over the next few days.