sonia | Decade in review

It's catching me by surprise that not only is 2019 almost over (didn't it just start?), not only are we edging up on 2020 (the far future!), but it's the end of a decade.

As I think about the past decade, there are a lot of things that have held steady. For the past 10 years, I have

lived in the same town
in the same house
run my bodywork practice in my home office
ridden the same bike
written an article every single month
kept a book blog
posted here on dreamwidth
picked a word of the year
run a dance group every week with a handful of exceptions
helped to run another weekly dance group
attended another dance group every couple of weeks
run a singing group almost every week
eaten gluten-free and nightshade-free food
shopped for groceries at the same farmer's markets and co-op

When I was working on establishing my business after moving to Portland, I saw the advice to shine like a lighthouse, choose your marketing and keep doing it, rather than running up and down the beach trying different things to get people's attention. I took that to heart, and it appears to be working, even if it took far longer than I wanted or expected. Maybe one's forties are a more stable time as well.

There are a lot of things that have changed, too.

My practice has gone from wobbly half-time to busy full-time. A few of the clients have been seeing me the whole decade.
My bike has had most of its moving parts replaced. Portland weather (and volcanic grit?) is hard on rims and brakes and gears.
My singing group has changed in personnel and format several times.
My dance group has changed personnel too. Sadly, two long-time regulars have died.
I was in relationship and out again. A lot of friendships have gone by the wayside, although a few have endured.
I was happy to have a part-time tech job for a while, and happy to be done when it was over.
Relatedly, I switched from a Windows 7 desktop computer and flip phone to a beloved Macbook Pro and iPhone (and iPad for sheet music).
I had one cat for the first half of the decade, and a different cat for the second half.
I have done a ton of emotional work, and, for the moment, am feeling more calm and stable. And overall in less physical pain. I'm aware that these things are subject to change in both directions, but I'm enjoying the improvement for now.
US politics have... deteriorated. I was feeling a little more hopeful that things were turning for the better, until the recent UK election.