Your Best Year?

[catherine]

I was sitting in the Trader Joe's parking lot in my Prius and my mind wandered to when I bought it, and I realized that in a certain sense, that year--2007--was a Golden Age for me.

Caveat: I know that today is also a Golden Age--and that every day presents itself with miracles. I do not mean to get overly morose or nostalgic with this post, or minimize my gratitude for today, but only to recall a time in my life that floods me with warmth.

It was 2007. I had just attended my daughter's college graduation, as well as my the graduation of my son, who had dropped out of high school and who was now giving the valedictory speech at his college.

I had just been made Vice President of Research, marking a quadrupling of my salary over less than 10 years, after having transitioned to a career in market research at age 46, releasing me from the near-poverty of the prior years.

The next day the entire family, including my MIL, was flying to Scotland for 10 days--a trip I worked 9 years for in terms of saving up travel points.

My son, daughter and I had just left a Memorial Day parade in which my DH was marching as a bagpiper for a local Pipes and Drums group. I was driving home and passed a Toyota dealership and just on a whim pulled in. My kids were now done with college, my daughter was "inheriting" the VW Beetle we had shared for the previous 4 years, and it was time for me. I saw a white Prius in the parking lot. I checked out the features, and in 10 minutes I had given the salesman a deposit and told him to hold it until I got back from Scotland.

As I mentioned above, I still have that car and expect to have it for several more years--it has 113,000 miles and has served me well. That car is wrapped in the memories of May/June 2007. I feel so lucky in so many ways.

Does anyone else have a special time or a special year they'd like to share?

[razz]

What a lovely thread!
Mine is quite different. It was 2017 and I was so totally content and at peace. I think that a certain time becomes special because it follows some very stressful episodes.

I had finally made it through all the mental, emotional and physical changes to solo life after my DH's passing 4-5 years earlier; my lovely little new house had been a perfect cocoon for me and the landscaping I had designed was growing well; I had regained my confidence after clearing out a lifetime of mental baggage; wonderful friendships were stable for the first time in my life as I knew that I was "home" and staying put; family members had worked through challenges due to the 2008 downturn and were thriving so of no concern; I realized that I had enough resources to be comfortable with some travel, theatre and other special joys that I had waited a long time to do; I was healthy and active and free to be me. All felt just good and right. That feeling has grown these past few months in 2018 which is kind of wonderful.
BTW, I have a Prius V but it is a sea green and I expect to have it for the next 10 years until the driverless cars take over.

[catherine]

Nice, razz. So glad you've found some equilibrium, joy and peace following what must have been a terrible time.

[Yppej]

1997 when I bought my own home and, broke, spent my summer vacation going to a different nearby state park or forest every day with my three year old son, who was the perfect age to appreciate simple pleasures.

[LDAHL]

"Call no man happy until he is dead." I'll wait until then to pick a best year .

I'm looking forward to having a tough choice.

[Ultralight]

What a lovely thread!
+1
:)

[SteveinMN]

2000.

Separated from my first wife and got to engage in healthy adult relationships again. Had a chance to rethink a lot of things (almost everything!) I had just kind of assumed before then. Lived by myself largely on my own terms. Still was young enough to not be exhausted by the process or to think that it was all downhill from there.

Yeah, there were a lot of emotional wrenches that year. But I got to take the first steps on a journey that has taken me to the best time of my life. I won't forget it.

[Ultralight]

Tough but fun question. :)

Maybe it was 2002. I moved out of my hometown, transferred to a university, was living in the big city (Toledo, haha). I was writing songs and playing guitar with my best friend. We'd ride our bikes aimlessly around campus and the city. I delved deep into campus activism, made close friends immediately, and I enjoyed my classes and the intellectual stimuli that I had never known. It was a beautiful blossoming time for me.

2007 was pretty good too. After a long illness, I recovered my health, and I rang in the New Year in Lisbon, Portugal. I was still married back then to my ex-wife and things were going well. She and I had two girlfriends on the side we frequently enjoyed. I was Mr. Cool Guy in graduate school. I had a good set of friends too. I was in really good shape, tan too, and I lounged around the pool most days from April to October.

[pinkytoe]

Hmm...probably around 2007 too. We were still firmly ensconced in our life in Austin before everything became fancy and gentrified. Good neighbors, good jobs, happy fixing up our house, starting all my gardens there...

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I have no idea. There has always been something special to me about the year 1969, but to say it was the best of my life I don't know. It is so nice reading others who have definite time periods they can point to and say why.

BTW, I too have a Prius! Prius C. I am hoping it will be my last car too. We bought it about 7 months before my husband passed away. Not a lot of miles on it as I have been in a sort of inertia since then in many ways.

[razz]

I have no idea.
BTW, I too have a Prius! Prius C. I am hoping it will be my last car too. We bought it about 7 months before my husband passed away. Not a lot of miles on it as I have been in a sort of inertia since then in many ways.

It is a difficult time to get through. Sending hugs.

[KayLR]

This has been thought-provoking for me, but I cannot think of an answer. Maybe I'm still waiting for it.

[Rogar]

I think some of my better years were between college and getting a real job when I traveled, worked some low stress but interesting temporary jobs, and could fit all of my belongings in a truck bed or station wagon. The year I left my last career job comes awfully close to that in some ways with a little less youthful energy and and quite a few more of life's comforts. So that's my pick for the best year.

[rosarugosa]

I honestly cannot look back and say that a certain year or time period was my best. Maybe I am still in it, living quite happily in my little house with my husband and our cats? Maybe I am just beginning it, having recently left the corporate rat race?
Since I am trying to be more mindful and spending more time "in the moment," I will say that the current year is and always should be my best year.

[happystuff]

Special times, so far I have 3 that stand out as totally exceptional: 1993 when my 1st child was place in my arms, 1994 when my 2nd child was placed in my arms, and 1999 when my 3rd child was placed in my arms. All adoptions and all occurred at airports - LOL. When I think back to each event, I am immediately filled with the emotions of the each moment.

[JaneV2.0]

I know for sure it's not this one.

[Gardenarian]

I can't choose just one, but the year I studied abroad, the year I moved from the East coast to the West, the year my daughter was born, and the year we moved to Oregon were all wonderful. This year is looking good - if my hip continues to improve then 2018 may make my top ten.

[boss mare]

not so much my best year but my best years ... Late August of 2001 to April of 2006 .. I met my husband, we got married, sold my house that was in a suburb of Seattle ... Moved 100 miles south to my dream home... Got a much needed and wanted breast reduction that insurance covered all but 200 of ( sorry TMI, but those of us that are well endowed will understand). took my horse to the Appaloosa Nationals in 2004 and earned 2 Reserve National Championships and many top three placings . bred said horse to a top stallion. then it went downhill for quite a few years... Had had a lot of ups and downs since, but have been on an upswing since September of last year with just a few dips

[Gardnr]

Interesting question and I can't pick just one either.

Personal: 1980 at age 19 married the love of my life and we're about to be 38 years happy about it!
Financial: 2010-debt free forever (the year we paid off our mountain cabin-the final debt and in just 6.5years)
Career: 2001-quit a 20y job that had become soul-sucking and built a facility for 15 surgeons-a joyous project and the 8y to follow until they sold it :-(

I have no doubt the best is yet to come:cool:

[iris lilies]

I dont know my best year. I remember coming out of the fog of my 20’s and entering 30’s, so that was a good period. My 30’s were my best dcade.

I didnt really like my 40’s decade although not much bad happened, well, my father died a few weeks before
I turned 40. I suppose a shrink would say that colored that decade with the finality of mortality but that was the only bad thing. I looked forward to turning 50 and getting out of that decade of the 40’s, and 50’s and 60’s have been good.

[catherine]

I dont know my best year. I remember coming out of the fog of my 20’s and entering 30’s, so that was a good period. My 30’s were my best dcade.

I didnt really like my 40’s decade although not much bad happened, well, my father died a few weeks before
I turned 40. I suppose a shrink would say that colored that decade with the finality of mortality but that was the only bad thing. I looked forward to turning 50 and getting out of that decade of the 40’s, and 50’s and 60’s have been good.

Just recently, DH and I were battering around the idea of getting another dog, and my knee jerk reaction was "I'm not ready for the responsibility of another dog. I'm tired of being responsible."

It just sort of slipped out, but there's a lot of truth to that, which is one reason getting older, after raising 4 kids and 2 dogs, has been a very liberating experience for me. I love my life now. My 60s is a pretty good decade. I've always spent too much energy worrying about people in my care at the expense of self-care, so it's a good time for me to cut the cords and "wear purple." (https://barbados.org/poetry/wheniam.htm)

[iris lilies]

Just recently, DH and I were battering around the idea of getting another dog, and my knee jerk reaction was "I'm not ready for the responsibility of another dog. I'm tired of being responsible."

It just sort of slipped out, but there's a lot of truth to that, which is one reason getting older, after raising 4 kids and 2 dogs, has been a very liberating experience for me. I love my life now. My 60s is a pretty good decade. I've always spent too much energy worrying about people in my care at the expense of self-care, so it's a good time for me to cut the cords and "wear purple." (https://barbados.org/poetry/wheniam.htm)


This is why fostering is fun, you can always give them back. I do mean that for fostering a breed that is popular, like our bulldogs, that are fairly easy to place.

cats, now that is a different story, there just are not enough homes for cats.I took on “fostering” a young cat for someone with my eyes wide open that this may become my permenant cat.

I am thinking ahead to when our current special dog dies, and
I will not be able to rush out and adopt another dog, but we will have foster dogs around to keep us company while we work through the grief of a major dog loss.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I know for sure it's not this one.

no kidding


I didnt really like my 40’s decade although not much bad happened, well, my father died a few weeks before
I turned 40.

there is statistical support for some years being happier than others, I mean 40s or so tends to be people's unhappiest years around the world if circumstances are adjusted for (but circumstances are pretty important yea yea of course VERY, but if they just abstract them out and analyze the data, so I have heard from happiness researchers).

Here's an exceedingly long article on it:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/12/the-real-roots-of-midlife-crisis/382235/

I guess my early 30s weren't bad, I was working part time, steady and decent enough paycheck, doing a lot of volunteering in things I believe in. Wasn't in a relationship, an off and on long distance affair well yea, but it was far from central to my life. Working for free at things I believed in, steady job at 30 hours a week and decent pay, and hanging out a lot with a good platonic much older male friend, it was good.

[catherine]

I am thinking ahead to when our current special dog dies, and
I will not be able to rush out and adopt another dog, but we will have foster dogs around to keep us company while we work through the grief of a major dog loss.

My daughter is a big proponent of fostering, but when I think of her, it doesn't make me WANT to foster because she wound up keeping both dogs she started out fostering. The last dog she fostered was placed with a family two hours away from her, and she had a bad feeling about the guy, and it kept her up for 3 nights and then she made her boyfriend drive her to the guy's house and retrieve the dog, and she's had him ever since. So that tells me it's not always easy to give a dog up once you love them.

IL, yes, as you allude to, I'm still grieving my dog. I really miss her, but I haven't gotten to the place where I can say maybe another dog will be as special as she was.