The last 10 years

The end of the year usually brings with it review and reflection of the 12 months gone by.

But with 2019 being the end of the 2010s — although the decade doesn’t actually end until next year — those reviews and reflections of the past year share space with a look back at the 10 years gone by.

There’s just one month left in this decade! What have you accomplished?

— Audra Rowell (@audrarowell94) November 14, 2019

I’m at the age where, while I certainly hope I haven’t done all I can do, the accomplishments don’t come as readily as they did in my 20s or even 30s.

I’ve long since graduated from college and grad school and gotten married. We bought our first house in 2003, and don’t have any kids. I haven’t started a business, haven’t written a book.

I turned both 40 and 45 since 2010, but the big 5-0 doesn’t come for a few more years.

I was building a career, getting promotions and running departments, until I wasn’t.

So what HAVE I accomplished?

I’ve gone on a lot of great trips to exciting places, some of the multiple times: London, New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, Chicago, Edinburgh and Oregon among them.

The great musicians I’ve seen include Sugarland, Leslie Odom Jr. with the Boston Pops, Mumford & Sons, Josh Groban, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves and Sara Bareilles.

I’ve been to baseball games, basketball and hockey games and soccer matches.

And the shows I’ve seen, either live or on screen: “Hamilton,” “Memphis,” “Les Miserables,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Kinky Boots,” “Present Laughter” and a whole bunch of others.

Yet, as great as they were, and I wouldn’t throw any of them back, they feel less like “accomplishments” and more “cool stuff I’ve done.”

So what HAVE I accomplished?

Well, I’ve managed to … live. It’s not all my doing, since, even with my gall bladder’s painful rebellion a few years ago, my body has not tried kill me.

I did give myself a helping hand a couple years back, though, losing a bunch of weight at my doctor’s request. I’ve kept most of it off, and between losing weight and a lot more exercise, I may be in better shape now than I was 10 years ago.

There’s one other thing — in spite of the requirement that it involves living with me, I’ve managed to stay married this whole time.

For close to 20 years, the last 17 married, Suzi has been the best part of my life. She keeps me sane. She makes me laugh. She’s good at so many of the things I’m terrible at. She picks me up when I’m down.

So maybe I can’t think of a lot of accomplishments, that’s a pretty good one to hang my hat on.

Let’s see what the next 10 years bring.