MetaChat - What was your most satisfying personal accomplishment in 2007?

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03 January 2008

What was your most satisfying personal accomplishment in 2007? →[More:]Mine was probably running a 10 km. I set that as my goal to do before I turned 32 (September), but got set back a little with a knee injury and some surgery. I just managed to get in done in the calendar year by completing one in the second week of December. First time I've run that far, without stopping, since I was in college. I still don't really feel "fit" though. And I'm still heavy. But I have some awesome leg muscles now!

post by: gaspode at: 14:23 | 41 comments

That is awesome, 'pode. And, whether you feel fit or not, every time I see a picture of you I think "that is my ideal of what healthy/beautiful looks like."

I'm proud of my hear. I worked my ass off in a lot of ways, both at my job and volunteer. I'm really proud of putting on a big Harvest Supper with all local foods, a pig roast, and a contra dance. We had 200 people and raised a lot of money. Also proud of getting accepted to and attending my nonprofit leadership seminar, which was hard work, but really made me renew my commitment to my career and learn a lot more about what I have yet to learn.

posted by Miko 03 January | 14:32

Heh. not hear, year. I guess I'm proud of my hear, but it's not all it could be after too many loud concerts.

posted by Miko 03 January | 14:33

I maxed out my Roth IRA. That felt pretty good. And I planned a kick-booty Halloween party at my church, and since the party, several kids who weren't attending have been at service on Sunday every single week. I also worked hard at my job and accomplished a lot on that front. Overall, 2007 was pretty good!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 03 January | 14:36

This.

And also the personal growth that allowed me to move out of a very dark period in my life, leading me to take a little risk that paid off big time.

posted by essexjan 03 January | 14:40

gaspode, you are not heavy. You are fit and beautiful.

I really had to think about this. The first things that sprung to mind are private, and the word accomplishment is wrong - just strong memories.

I took two business trips completely by myself this year. I didn't think it would be a big deal, I wasn't scared, but any new experience is more learnful than you think it will be. I haven't flow since well before 09/11 until this year. It just never came up. So I made it, saw some neat landscapes and some neat bunnies, and came home to no place like home.

posted by rainbaby 03 January | 14:45

Man, I feel so good... I'm just so happy I grew a pair and went back on an SSRI. I should have just done it when I first landed.

posted by chuckdarwin 03 January | 14:46

Moving back to the city. Eight years in the 'burbs almost crushed me, I'm not sure how people can take it. My mental health has improved 200% from not having to commute and hour to work every day and my health has improved from lots of walking.

posted by octothorpe 03 January | 14:47

I finally started to learn to bind books by hand. Last weekend I finished my first effort at something of heirloom quality -- a two-volume set of blank books with an open-ended case. Black leather covers with black felt inside, custom envelopes bound in as end pages for storage, and 64 pages each. I give them 150 years of moderate use before they would need major maintenance. They are for a wiccan friend.

posted by mischief 03 January | 15:12

I've done a few things that made me step out of my comfort zone, and I didn't die. I'm pretty proud of myself for those things.

posted by rhapsodie 03 January | 15:14

Finally moving to Portland.

We've been planning this move for about 7 years, but then my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and we couldn't move. After she passed, I couldn't leave my sister and her kids alone while we were all grieving so much. Just at the next point (almost exactly 2 years later), my partner's mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I think we both started to think I was never going to get to move home :)

I can be slightly resistant to risk, and quitting my job that paid really well and leaving many people whom I loved (and who like me too!) was a huge move for me.

It's been a wonderful six months here - I was worried after so much planning we'd be disappointed, but I know this is my home, and I've been trying to get back here ever since my family moved away. My partner said the other day that despite 30 years of living in Wisconsin, Portland is the first place that felt like his home.

Now, I just have to finally start job hunting so that we can buy the house that we really want (how odd to be both a landlord and a renter).

Thanks for posting this, gaspode, it was fun to think about what made me the most satisfied.

posted by Sil 03 January | 15:15

I also just realized that I made over $2,500 in Teh Theatah in 07, which will make taxes a nightmare, but everything was well received, so that could go up next year. I'm still most proud of 'baby takes her own dang self to the Grand Canyon. Yeah, thanks gaspode, neat post. Forces me out of my usual doom and gloom mode.

posted by rainbaby 03 January | 15:35

I try to not reflect too much because my first thoughts are always of what is wrong, or not accomplished. I don’t appreciate the good things enough when so much bad is out there. After kicking myself for this tendency, I’m thinking of a few things that are starting in the right direction.
1. I’ve helped my nephew reconstruct his kitchen – we demo’ed all, then built cabinets and installed them. He still needs to determine a new countertop, but is fine with using the old one for now. I’ve found that he’s a great adult now! I so love doing construction and working with my hands.
2. The second thing I’ve started is rebuilding a 50 year old car. I know nothing about mechanicals, but am pretty good at all the body work and removing trim (so far). I will rely on others for the mechanicals. It’s a three/four-year project (I’m guessing) and will depend on “spare” money to complete.

3. Likewise, thanks to gaspode for making me think of good things. And, I'm enjoying hearing of other's good things.

posted by mightshould 03 January | 15:42

Sil, welcome to P-town! I moved here from Wisconsin too, but that was about 14 years ago. I think it's probably time for a meetup.

posted by pieisexactlythree 03 January | 15:44

I was feeling bad because I couldn't think of one damn thing I did all year. Then I remembered that I made a person. So that kind of gets me of the hook.

posted by jrossi4r 03 January | 16:01

And you made us all laugh, lots of times, jrossi, so that counts too.

posted by essexjan 03 January | 16:15

1. Built a nice deck.

2. Got my ass to Hawaii, finally.

3. While I did not achieve total beefcake status, I kept at it at the gym, and lost 10 lb. over the course of the year.

posted by danf 03 January | 16:17

mightshould, what kind of car are you restoring?

posted by octothorpe 03 January | 16:26

Some funny things jrossi4r has said this year

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 03 January | 16:41

Oh, the car - it's a 1955 tbird w/ a 1957 engine... was put back into driving shape by my uncle in the late 70's (not restored, just drivable)- (he died from a brain tumor 10 yrs ago). My hubby was going to fix it, but the car's been sitting and rusting ever since - it's differential went kaput. And, I am only doing what it takes to get it going again and get as much rust and chrome fixed as possible/affordable. I seem to gravitate to this type of thing as "therapy". I don't do talk stuff very well.

posted by mightshould 03 January | 16:42

I got a real job.

posted by sperose 03 January | 16:46

pieisexactlythree - count me in this time! That'd be very cool. I've been keeping an eye out on MetaTalk for the next one.

One of the last ones was right by where I'm living (Mash Tun, I live in NE) and it was the first full day I was in Portland for good. I ended up not going because I was too tired from moving (who knew that was such work!!).

posted by Sil 03 January | 16:50

I quit my job. Moved to Seattle. Then got married! Big big changes for me in 2007.

posted by ramix 03 January | 16:53

(hey essexjan you look GREAT! totally inspiring)

This year I have been bad about checking in here! But this year (not sure if I am proud of it, but it feel accomplishment-ish) I did a whole boatload of freelance illustration and comics, semi-won an award and was generally one busy bastard. I also managed to gain gobs of weight and shamefully ignore more of my friends so 2008 is the year I will find a good way to balance everything I hope!

posted by Mrs.Pants 03 January | 17:09

I was feeling bad the other day because it seemed to me that I got nothing done last year. Now that I think of it, though, there were several positive things. For instance:

1. Getting published (a short story in a literary journal and two newspaper articles).
2. Moving to the city.
3. Surviving four months in Russia.

These are not big things, but I feel that they're a start in the right direction. I'll be trying to up the ante this year by a) finishing my first "real" paper and b) finishing my MA.

posted by Daniel Charms 03 January | 17:13

I did some traveling, and finally finished the portrait work for Granfaloon Bus. Overall, though, I didn't have much time to think or write (how is that possible?), so 2007 feels somewhat wasted. And now back to repairing the house.

posted by interrobang 03 January | 17:23

I moved to san francisco, bought a flat (my first home purchase!), and I started painting again. Now to keep it up this year...

posted by angelique.eek 03 January | 17:30

Got my financial planner certification, which was harder than I expected.

Really learned how to ski. Not that I'm great, but something finally "clicked" after 4-5 seasons of doing it.

Taking up surfing (though that hasn't clicked yet).

posted by small_ruminant 03 January | 17:45

I got published (pretty much by accident), moved downtown, and left North America for the first time.

posted by Capn 03 January | 17:47

I reached my target weight. Started running and can do 2 whole miles. Successfully completed my first semester of graduate school. Got accepted to a study-abroad program in Albania of all places. Learning Albanian.

Thanks for asking gaspode because before I thought about it I considered 2007 sucky year.

posted by haunted by Leonard Cohen 03 January | 17:47

Returned from 2.5 (wonderful) years in China and promptly enrolled as a (38yo) first year (community) college student.

posted by geekyguy 03 January | 18:49

1. Didn't kill anyone
2. Didn't die myself

Hey, you have no idea how difficult #1 can be sometimes.

posted by bmarkey 03 January | 19:27

Successfully juggling a new job, a new (and emotionally difficult) internship, a new live-in relationship in a new apartment, and grad school. I'm reasonably proud of each individual component there, but I'm hugely proud of myself for doing all of it at once, more or less unscathed (and, actually, with a hell of a lot more self-awareness than I started the year with, and a hell of a lot of personal growth).

posted by occhiblu 03 January | 19:34

1. kicked ass on stage doing improv, which I love.
3. took part in an award-winning short film.
4. treated everyone with respect.

posted by Lipstick Thespian 03 January | 19:41

my most satisfying personal what?

posted by jonmc 03 January | 19:55

beer, jonmc. Most satisfying beer of 2007.

I'll share mine: the large frosty one I had with a big ol'burger after going for a morning sail on a schooner in Bar Harbor with LT.

posted by Miko 03 January | 20:39

1. I survived my divorce.
2. I survived the tumor and two surgeries to remove it.

and most importantly...

3. I fell in love with a wonderful man.

posted by Twiggy 03 January | 20:42

beer, jonmc. Most satisfying beer of 2007.

This one. First because it's named after a Zappa album, and two, because it's a fun to answer 'Whaddaya drinking?' with 'Lumpy Gravy, dude. Want some?'

posted by jonmc 03 January | 20:59

I got laid regularly, thus ending several years of semi inadvertent celibacy. It was awesome and I highly recommend it, particularly as this whole Year Of Sex has ended up with the one thing I'd stopped expecting: falling in love. Like, mutually. And that is beyond amazing, so, um, 2008 is already shaping up to be even better than 2007.

Oh and hey, in a far less interesting achievement note, I set out to do a photo a day and I did it: I finished out my personal Project 365 with only a couple of missing days and I'm damn proud of it and damn glad it's over.

posted by mygothlaundry 03 January | 21:54

Oh, dear. I'm reading everyone else's entries, and I got nothing. Same job, same apartment, same cat, same dog, same two foster kids.

I guess I kept the two foster kids alive another year -- they are now 17 and 19 (15 and 17 when they moved in with me).

I have talked to a few realtors about maybe trying to buy something next year (still on the fence about that).

Sil, I love your kitty photo.

Miko, I wish I had attended your contra dance! (I used to live in New Hampshire way back when. My whole family lives around there. I love Portsmouth.)

posted by Claudia_SF 04 January | 04:36

Don't feel all alone in the woods, Claudia_SF! All I did was move. memo to self: do something in '08.

posted by taz 04 January | 05:30

That I got the harridan designer to back down (albeit with the help of a lawyer).

posted by brujita 05 January | 05:51

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