2011 in review: A year of personal loss

I think that one of the best ways to summarize 2011 for me is: amazing professionally, a lot of pain and personal loss on the personal realm. I set out to accomplish a lot of things that I am enroute to completing, I did a lot of stuff earlier this semester, and to a certain extent, I fulfilled all my goals for the fall (including coming back to competitive volleyball). But man, I really could do with a do-over on the number of losses I and my loved ones experienced this year.

This fall I got sick again (a week-long cold that put me out of my misery for a whole week, rendering me, for the most part, unconscious for the better part of that period), not surprising as this year I had a full 5 courses load (my normal load is 1-2, so 3 in total), on top of my own consulting and research. I have been waking up on weekends telling myself “I have so much work to do!” But in general, my health has been really good. Unfortunately, not the case with many of my loved ones.

Friends of mine lost their life partners in some cases, and in others other extended family members, close family members of mine passed away as well. This has been a terrible year in terms of how much personal loss there has been. And it affects me and my personal relationships as well because these losses have an impact on the people I love and on myself as well: how do I best support people who are in the midst of the pain of losing a loved one, when I myself have lost people I love this year? It’s been tough.

Here’s a hope that 2012 is better in all realms, not only the professional one.

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