Admittedly, I’m not one for resolutions. Instead, I try to reflect back on the past year to assess the good, the bad, and the ugly. The first round that came to mind is as follows:
The Good. I entered January 2008 without a job but with enough money saved to keep the landlord happy and optimism to boot. I entered March 2008 with just over $89 and the disposition of a disgruntled porcupine. As I stood weeping to my mother about how my luck had run out, HR phoned. It was perhaps the most dramatic mood reversal to date—going from porcupine to happy clam. Thus the story of how I had gained employment and mastered the art of transmogrifying all in one day.
The Bad. My mother graciously gave me her old Toyota Prius a few years ago, and I have loved driving it. The GPS is perhaps the most useful feature, and sometimes I turn it on even when just going to the grocery store. Oh, to know your surroundings! In the stpring, I was visiting Columbus and was directed to park on the grass around a fenced-in track. When it was time to exit, I decided that, to avoid hitting the car behind me, I would simply pull forward and navigate around the fence. GPS will tell you a lot—where exit 50B is located, how to get to the nearest Indian restaurant. Unfortunately, it will not tell you when a rock, large enough to be classified as a boulder, is situated just to the front left of your vehicle. GPS can also not identify the horrible scrapping when said rock digs into the exterior paint and then into the metal of your automobile. GPS can also not comfort the driver as she discovers the only way to get out of the predicament is to reverse the car, thus repeating the exact action she is attempting to undo. Talk about a rock and a hard place.
The Ugly. In October I adopted a kitten into my home. After days of cooing, calling, and bribing, I finally wooed this once-feral calico out from hiding behind the stove. Soon the super shy Matilda was super comfortable sitting on my face while I attempted sleep. Last week she came home spayed and groggy with strict instructions to put the “cone” on any time I couldn’t keep an eye on her. Easy, right? I soon discovered that what this six-pound kitten lacks in body weight she makes up for in puma-like reflexes and sheer determination. After wrangling the post-op cat into the couch corner, I was able to finally snap the cone around her neck. As I celebrated, she rolled around as if she was on fire. I watched in awe as this innocuous piece of plastic induced such anxiety. Then I watched as she managed to get both hind legs, both forepaws, and all 25 claws behind the cone. To my horror she started to push, forcing the cone right up under her chin, emitting a chilling half-growl, half-gurgle. I ripped the cone off in hopes that Matilda’s self-destructive tendencies were a direct result of the cone and not me. Needless to say, I lost that fight. The score stands at Matilda: 2 (also lost claw clipping), Katharine: 0. We are currently in our third battle—administering medication. For each dose she has successfully swallowed, I have an armful of claw marks, so this will probably end up a draw.
What this first round of reflections on 2008 really goes to show is that in life you cannot Undo. You can’t rewind to take back the complaining about being unemployed right before a job offer comes through; you can’t choose a different parking spot (although you can reverse!); and you certainly can’t fight battles already lost again.
But take heart because you can always Undo in Photoshop when making your own READ posters. Whether you Control + Z or Edit>Undo, Photoshop always gives you a second (and third and fourth…) chance!
For the last days of 2008 and all through 2009, I wish you the courage to use the undo button with reckless abandon and the reality of using it hardly at all!
