2009, for me, counts as a year where several things in my life shifted focus, in that "things will never be the same" sorta way. Around April I took the plunge and bought a new car - not my first car, but the first where I am the original owner, as well as the first bought with no help from parents. While a new car isn't exactly a major life change, the paying for it can be. (I got debt! Building credit scores! Awesome!)

2009 was also the year where I found myself taking more and more taking on the role of my father's memory and appointment calendar. As he progresses through his seventies, his memory, especially short term, has gotten much less reliable, so I've become the go-to guy for keeping him on track, taking his medications, and more. He's still largely independent for now, but I'm keeping watch. I've been through all this with my late mother years back, so I'm semi-confident that I'm better equipped to handle the situation and not get blindsided by it.

Finally, I had a couple medical scares of my own over the past year. It wasn't anything particularly threatening or serious, but still required real professional attention, and did an excellent job shaking me out of that "Oh, I'll be just fine - nothing bad's gonna happen!" complacency of youth. My usual new year's resolution is to lose weight (with the "and this time, I mean it!" tag on the end), but I think I've got more resolve and a better chance of success in the coming year, as I've already been working at it for months, eating better and getting more exercise. My intent is to slowly modify my behavior, as (knowing myself) that has a better chance of lasting success than the diets. I'll take all the luck I can get in 2010 - I'll probably need it, but at least I've also got this tiny amount of confidence that I'll be able to improve myself - weight, health, and life in general.