congratulations

by

If you set out to sail this year only to realize your spirit can never stray from dry land. If there were dreams you had to fold away like secret notes, aligning the corners and pressing down hard so that the creases are as sharp as tongues. If there were things that almost happened but didn’t, good things, things you were already beginning to taste and learn and sew onto the sleeves of your days. If you let someone down. If someone let you down. If at every intersection you found something new to be disappointed about; if there was something that wanted to chip away at your happiness and your wholeness and you let it. If you didn’t make or do or work or play or speak or touch or laugh as much as you needed to. If nothing was ever enough. If a great love was swept away from you when you least expected it. If you saw the hurt coming all along. If you kept forgetting. If you just couldn’t seem to forget. If this year it felt like you were always tired and scared and lonely. If you ran out of time. If you ran out of excuses. If you ran out of apologies. If you are far from the person you thought you’d be by now. If you lost something. If you lost at something. If you lost someone. If you are still lost.


If you can look back and refuse to call it a bad year.