2008: 3D Review

So, the top ten list of 2008 is still in the works-- too many to whittle down. Composing that list has gotten me in a reflective and forward looking state of mind all at once. The picture to the right sort of sums it up. It's a combination of Green Man and Janus. (I looked and looked for the original artist, but could not find it on the interwebs. The signature below the middle beard is an enigma to me. But, hey, it's from 1996.)

Green Man --across many cultures, Irish to Islamic-- is interpreted as a figure of rebirth, even renaissance. The Green Man here is of the Foliate Head variety; fruitful thought and growth in mind. Janus, typically a Roman God of beginnings and endings, is more closely aligned with the Etruscan civilization-- a pre-Roman symbol of gateways.

The combination of these two symbols externalize my internal workings at present. The two main things about this figure that speak the strongest to me are the aspects of growth and movement.

This year has been a wild ride, both publicly and privately. It seems as if I have lived in a liminal state, always hovering between three worlds-- the one I am leaving, the one I am in, and the one I seek. The thought that I might always feel this way is both terrifying and comforting.

I think my life this year has been one of perpetual motion. I have always felt time was a friend even though I feel it washing over me, swifter and swifter with each passing year. At least I know I am not standing still but have a sense of stillness that I maintain when I stay focused on the bounty the present moment is always offering.

I am grateful for 2008; it has been a year filled with growing pains and achievements. Of laughter, friends, and family. Of hope and change.

I look forward to 2009.

May it be a year that reinforces (or rekindles) our belief in each other.

May it be a year that strengthens our belief in ourselves.

May it be a year which fortifies our own power to make the world we leave better, confirms our commitment to make the world we live in kinder, and cements our determination to make the world we hope to create more peaceful.

The list-- it may end up a top 20. Isn't that awesome?