It probably seems especially silly that I still live in Canada, given the fact that I’m really not a fan of the winter months, which in this area lasts half the year. This winter was especially brutal, and call it seasonal affective disorder or seasonal depression or what have you, but I found myself fighting chronic grumpiness a lot of the time. In the past few months, I’ve had an overwhelming workload, a very frustrating process of recording my first training DVD, and the launch of a new website. Top that off with drawing cartoons for a federal election nobody wanted and a royal wedding nobody should have cared about. On the personal front, I’ve been in midlife crisis mode about turning 40 this past March, we put off a long planned vacation south for yet another year, and we lost one of our cats to a sudden illness. It’s been a very difficult winter.
BUT…before you start writing nasty comments and emails chastising me for whining, I am well aware that in every life a little snow must fall, and that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Winter is over and Spring is here. My mood is on the upswing, and I’ve got big plans for the next few months and beyond. I am not blind to the many gifts in my life.
My wonderful wife and I are both healthy and we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I get to do what I love for a living, and while the nature of my career requires constant adaptation, it still seems to get brighter and better every year. I do consider myself one of the luckiest people I know. I am grateful for the life I’ve got, and while there are often challenges to face, things could be a hell of a lot worse.
Since I intend to be smiling a lot more in the next few months, I figured I would try to spread it around a little. For the next four weeks, I am going to be having a giveaway on my Cartoon Ink Facebook page. For the next four Mondays, I’ll be asking you to answer a question either on the Facebook page or by sending me an email. I will compile a list of names, and at the end of each week, a winner will be announced. Since I personally know a number of people on that page, somebody else will be choosing the winner using an online random number generator, and the winning number will correspond to the names on the list.
In order to give everybody a chance, you may only win once in the four weeks of May, and I’m only revealing the weekly prize at the beginning of each week. Here’s hoping you win!
Like your post. Don’t like that bridery is not included in the contest. There is an election going on in your parts.
It is good to reflect on the many blessing wwe have, no matter what life has in store for us. It takes NO effort to be unhappy.
If I’d included bribery in the contest, Early, there would be a bunch of politicians hangin’ around, and nobody wants that. 🙂