Ding! Level 48

Well, 47, you were a kick in the pants. Several kicks in the pants, actually, and a few in the gut for good measure. In the words of my favorite internet meme of the last few months, "Dear Things That Won't Kill Me: I'm strong enough already, thanks."

Getting diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in December got this year off to a rollicking start. Thankfully, I've been able to lose weight and modify my eating to the point that I don't have to take any medications for that. They tried putting me on a statin drug for cholesterol, but my side effects were debilitating, so I took myself off it. Now it's just keeping my carbohydrate intake under 50 grams per day and taking a blood pressure pill. There an upside to it, though. I sleep through the night because I'm not getting up three times to pee. It's also nice when people notice the weight loss.

My close friend K was in hospital for several months with complications from a surgery to remove a tumor wrapped around her femoral artery, so that was another major negative aspect of how this year went.

Stressful at the time, but ultimately successful was my godson's mother, my close friend C having a benign growth removed from her brain.

Then Doug's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time in her life. Not a recurrence, though, which would have been much worse. She came through with flying colors but it was yet another near-and-dear one in the hospital.

I learned later in the year that one of my two remaining aunts in England had passed away. I've got just one left, so I'm glad that Doug and I are going over to the UK next month. The Victoria Gaelic choir is going over to compete in the Royal Scottish National Mòd, and they invited us to go and sing with them to increase their number of male voices and fluent speakers. We're making a big three-week trip out of it. I can't wait.

I also got this awesome gig in November to teach and perform at the Washington Folk Harp Society's weekend getaway in Gettysburg, PA. I had hoped to use it as an anchor gig to build an East Coast tour, but the diabetes and other issues kept me from working on it back when I would have had to have been in order to succeed. It hurts like hell to feel like I missed such a golden opportunity.

I've made some progress on closing Mom's estate, though. Inching forward on that one.

I didn't make very many of my goals this year and I mostly feel like I've been run over by a truck. I sure hope that 48 is much better all-in-all.