My First "Blogiversary" / Resolution for 2008

Well, today is my one year blogiversary. I never thought that I would be blogging this long when I know bloggers who have been doing it for years. I started my blog with a resolution. Something that I rarely like to do, but at the time, it seemed to be the only thing to blog about considering it was right after the New Year. My resolution was to have a personal life that outweighed my “professional” life. From the very get go, I thought for certain it would be an ultimate failure. For so many years I had been trying to do the same (it seemed), to no avail. But something was different this time around. Through a stroke of luck, “Adam” attended the North Suburban Gays (NSG) 25th Anniversary Dinner in November of 2006. I happened to notice him as a man who must be a guest of someone because I knew he was not a member of NSG. He was asked to attend by my friend Fran who never passes up opportunities to attend dinner functions. I introduced myself to “Adam” when he went outside for a cigarette and I went outside just to get a breath of fresh air and cool down from the temps inside. We got to talking and seemed to express an interest in getting together again for perhaps lunch or dinner.

It was through “Adam” that I was introduced to the West Suburban Gay Association (WSGA). I joined the organization at the most opportune time. It seemed that NSG was about to go defunct because of its lack of membership and WSGA seemed to be busting at the seams with its membership. WSGA is an organization that is able to draw its membership from a much wider area (Lake Michigan doesn’t stand in the way as it did for NSG). I remember the first WSGA social event, which was the New Year’s Brunch, that I went to in Elk Grove Village; probably located a good hour away from me. While there were people there who saw me as a stranger, I was welcomed as a friend. I can recall so many people going out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Here I was entering a semi-stranger’s house with an appetizer of spinach parmesan balls that I made. When I arrived, I entered the house as though I knew everyone, but I only knew the host, who was no where to be found until after I got the appetizer in the oven. It was a welcomed relief to see a familiar face. We had only met the last month before in December 2006 at “Adam’s” holiday party.

Since that time, I have attended just about every event and have made so many friends over the course of this past year. My Christmas card list just about doubled. I may have to resort to buying the “pre-made” Christmas cards rather than making homemade Christmas cards as I have been doing for the last 3-4 years. Over the course of this past year I have also put a lot of mileage on my CR-V as most of these events are anywhere from sixty to seventy-five minutes away. That is also what has prompted me to start looking to the western suburbs for a new job. Except my line of work can be so restrictive in the number of available jobs out there. I’ve contemplated working in the private sector, but feel I would be better suited to remain in the public sector. Plus I have almost twenty years……Gosh did I just say TWENTY??!!……..in my IMRF (Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund) pension. I just applied for a second job in a suburb that isn’t quite as far west as I would like, but it gets me out there to where I could live in a western suburb and commute about twenty minutes. For the last seventeen years, I have lived within two miles of my two employers, so I am not quite open to a commute similar to those who hit Interstate I-94 or I-90 at five in the morning to get downtown by 8:00 o’clock.

You can say my resolution for 2007 was successful ten times over.

Last week, I probably posted what many considered to be my most revealing post. I was going through that phase of realizing that nothing would come to fruition with “Mr. Texas” or with “Alex.” I had actually planned to taked time off between Christmas and New Year’s with the hope that I would be spending extra time with either one. However, when I asked for my time off in November, it was only “Mr. Texas” who was “in my life” at the time. So I was somewhat bummed that the vacation break I took was on the “slow” side. But I am happy with where it has “left me.” I really got too emotionally involved with “Mr. Texas” who wasn’t putting out. With “Alex”, this is someone who I have established a close relationship with as a confidant and someone who has been there for me in times of good and bad. We always have a great time together at the various functions. When I was asked to take on the duties of webmaster for the association, I was thrilled. And as “dorky” as it may sound, it’s been a privilege to give back to an organization that has given me so much.

If there is one resolution that I have for 2008, I think many people would be able to figure that out. Although I may argue that it is something that is outside of my control and can’t really stick to it. That resolution is to find someone, er “the one” to love, and someone to share life’s joys and sorrows with. I’m not worried about dying alone or that no one would know. To me it is a sense of well-being. I need to be afforded the opportunity.

Here is to 2008 and another successful resolution. And perhaps I’ll be able to blog about it again on my second blogiversary? Or better yet, once it happens?