Despite its bad reputation, drug the word “disillusion” is a beautiful, cialis positive concept. “Dis” means to free or divide and thus dis-illusion to free of illusion or false ideas. The German translation, prostate “ent-täuschung”, is the same. I like it: die Täuschung ist vorbei. Let’s get over it.
It’s been a tough road, but here I am in December 2009. I’ve had a fabulous, exciting year. I affectionately call it my year of disillusionment.
My year began in a remote monastery at a retreat for meditation and rejuvenation. The theme was “letting go and starting new”. Over the following months as I grudgingly let go of the illusion. Illusions may appear beautiful, but sooner or later they bust apart. Then you are left with reality. And reality is … well it is what it is. Once I accepted that my life seemed to grab me and pull me back into its stream. Miraculous things began to happen.
I have a very good man in my life who showers me with affection, support, and encouragement. I have tremendous respect for him, as he does for me. We’ve shared a lot of amazing adventures together this year.
My 14-year-old daughter is a source of joy and light for me. She’s in the eighth grade this year. Although her friends and social life are pretty much the main focus of her life at this point, she does make time for her mother and I treasure every moment. There is a special wisdom about her – an old soul and a young spirit. She’s one of my greatest teachers.
As everyone knows, you don’t just loose your spouse in a divorce, you typically loose other people that once played an important role in your life as well. There are disappointments, but your real friends remain and you also make new ones. Time has passed and I find myself surrounded by a lot of sincere, warm hearted and caring people; inspiring people that are making a positive difference in their communities and our environment.
Surrounded by all this support and inspiration, life began to happen again. And it has swept me off my feet! It has taken me to three continents and 12 countries this year. I am a student of the Institute Masters of Wine. Work has been productive: I co-authored and/or edited several wine books and numerous articles. I was able to re-unite with old friends and extended family members and kindle new friendships.
The highlights of this year were certainly my two trips to North America. The ultimate highlight was my trip to the USA with Sophie. She was able to get an inside view to “my culinary San Francisco” before enjoying many memorable experiences with family and friends in the Pacific Northwest and tons of family she never even knew she had in my State of birth, Minnesota. Another fabulous trip was with Gerhard. We began on Vancouver Island and travelled down the west coast to San Francisco visiting lots of friends and family and all the wine regions along the way. As far as my studies and work go — it’s pretty amazing. Success can be measured in many ways. I may not make a lot of money, but I get to travel to a lot of beautiful places and meet inspiring people and support projects that contribute positively to our environment and society. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to make a living at something I love, at something where I feel I make a positive difference in this world, however small. To top it all off this year, I won the prestigious IMW Yalumba Scholarship which took me to Australia for studies and an internship.
With all this travelling, the frequency of extensive mountain tours on skis or by bike have decreased dramatically. I’ve been hiking and walking, but that is not vigorous enough for me. I don’t really like to run, especially alone in unfamiliar places, so I’ve started doing early morning aerobics wherever I happen to be. It’s a compromise, but not a long-term substitute for what vigorous mountain activity does for my soul.
My goals for 2010? A more sustainable lifestyle. A return to more mountain tours. Increased engagement in my community, in particular for immigrant integration. Working to make the wine industry a leader in environmental and social responsiblity. A new website. A couple new books. Good results on the MW exams.
And my most important duty of all? Just plain loving and living a good life! I owe that to myself, my partner, my daughters, my parents, and all the people around me!