Last night presented a bit of an awkward moment. From somewhere on the other side of my bedroom wall, the puppy my neighbor has been watching for the last few weeks continued barking and howling all morning and afternoon and late into the night. It has been howling for days– that heart-wrenching, pathetic whine so many small animals use to publish unimaginable loneliness. I finally called my neighbor and left a message on her cell phone at ten minutes to midnight, offering concern for the animal’s wellbeing. I suspect the truth is that its human guardian is actually unaware of this situation, simply going off to work every morning and leaving the animal locked in a bedroom, and that she just left it at home last night so she could go out and do the traditional New Year’s Eve thing. I haven’t heard anything from her neighbor today, but I’ve asked Mary to address this first if she gets the opportunity. (See also: “Ian’s utter lack of tact.”)
 |
Anyway, I’ve started the New Year as my more avid fans might suspect: Deep in thought and sequestered away with my study. My thought has been fairly sensitive lately, drawn to the notion of achieving a more tangible sense of spiritual good. Amid the gross chaos of my daily picture my thought still drifts heavenward, and I can’t help but hope that this leg of my journey is nearing a close. I suppose that it soon will, one way or another.
2004, which is a Leap Year by the way, holds much promise. As I’ve become accustomed to doing over the last few New Years, I’ve been reviewing my Goals for 2003 while penning new goals for this year. I wasn’t able to do as much as I’d hoped last year, but I am still pleased with the progress made. Many of these unachieved goals will be carried over. I haven’t finished my new list of goals, but I feel energized about the prospects.
This feeling has really carried into my day today. I’ve been addressing some available and practical details associated with organizing my life. I bought a couple new calendars from a local office supply store early in the day
