Looking Back On 2011
The Year of the Rabbit is winding down (not over yet) and it played out like the celestials said it would. 2011 was a metal rabbit year, which means it was a time for resilience and determination. Don’t know about you, but that definitely seemed like the theme of 2011 to me.
Resiliency for GR meant getting back to basics. Surviving the economic storm has meant remembering what sets us apart, and what matters about what we do. It’s been a really emotional, unpredictable and unexpectedly rewarding learning experience. I think everyone who has felt some financial hurt in the last couple of years can attest to this. When times are lean, look to the things that always give back – love, family, friendship, generosity, and creativity.
There was a lot of loss this year, and I’m not sure enough time has passed to know what the silver lining will be. But this year was definitely about taking personal inventory. I don’t think life is about being “somewhere” by a particular time in your life. It seems more meaningful to make every moment matter when you remember that in an instant a tsunami, cancer, flash floods, or a thousand other ends can take everything away. 2011 was a reminder to be grateful and brave.
In 2011 I became determined to make the biggest move of my life, in response to being moved in the biggest way by Mongolia and a Mongolian man. This year will forever be marked for me as the year that everything changed. I’ve spent every day since I got back in May preparing to disassemble my life here, and with just the nuts and bolts of who I am and what matters to me, make a new life in Mongolia. After my last art show at GR2, ushering in the Year of the Dragon with my Giant Robot family and friends, I’ll be hitting the road. Heading to the second largest city in Mongolia, Darkhan, up North by the Russian border. I won’t be starting over in Mongolia. I’m just going to be doing what life up until now has prepared me for.
My 95 year old grandfather and I are both fire dragons. I predict 2012 is going to be a big year of changes for both of us. This will be a water dragon year. Water helps calm the fire dragon, makes room for more perspective and patience. I’m feeling that wave already. Hopefully you are too, and all of us can make something wonderful of 2012. The world is waiting for us to make the most of things.