The year behind

In keeping with the “eventually I’ll be caught up” theme, 2006 was another transitional year for me.

I hate transitional years.

My transitions are few and far between. I rarely change addresses or jobs. I am a creature of habit. Long, dull habits.

I spent the first half of the year looking for work and second half of the year at a new job. Short of moving, that’s as big a change in my world as it gets.

Not that the first half of the year wasn’t work. I hustled, wrote freelance stories for newspapers, Web sites and magazines. I did PR work for friends, paying and otherwise. I went on a dozen interviews, pitched ideas, wooed clients and networked.

A lot.

The second half was crazy. I traveled to five states and the District of Columbia for the magazine. I wrote only a few stories, which means the pile of unwritten assignments on my desk is scarily high.

Plus, I wrote more than 170 posts for this site, and around 500 posts for the Birmingham site.

Whew.

I really became more comfortable in my own skin. Meaning, I did a better job at talking to people in new situations. I consider myself (cliché alert) a shy person. So I forced myself to go out, interact, make conversation.

Sometimes, it all comes together. Other times, it falls apart.

I found myself at odds with dear friends during the last few months of 2006. I keep a tight circle of friends, so when that support network falls apart, well, I got nothing.

I tried to recruit some new friends into the fold. That was a failure.

And very disappointing. But I’m picky about friendships for a reason.

As for my love life (something I usually get asked about), that was nonexistent, save for a handful of dates. I started a long journey on eHarmony, which had an unexpected three-month gap. I became so busy with work and travel, I stopped checking in to the site to correspond with matches.

The longer the gap, the harder it was for me to log in. And I was paying for the darn thing.

But I got back on the horse (so to speak) last month, so the journey continues. And I re-upped for 12 months.

I look forward to that special transition, from single to non-single. And I look forward to figuring out my friendships new and old.

The year behind was fantastic and unexpected. The year ahead — who knows.