At the end of each year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced. What follows is my personal and professional review of 2016. I:
* Produced hundreds of breaking news stories about the worldwide refugee crisis, the slaughter in Syria, the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Brexit referendum, the Black Lives Matter movement, the Orlando nightclub massacre, the spread of the Zika virus, the Panama Papers leak, the North Korea nuclear tests, dozens of terror attacks, the Juno probe’s arrival in Jupiter’s orbit, the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the 2016 election and countless celebrity deaths.
* Passed the 45,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker).
* Entered an essay contest to win a house in Maine.
* Penned 68 journal entries.
* Wrote 2 poems.
* Worked on my novel.
* Interviewed by Vanessa Lowe for the Nocturne podcast.
* Walked over 1.06 million steps (more than 445 miles) and climbed over 1,060 floors.
* Read 50 books and numerous magazines.
* Watched 39 films and dozens of TV programs.
* Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.
* Participated in the The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Author’s Guild.
* Launched the New Hampshire Writers Guild.
* Traveled to Maine.
* Twice hosted vacationing friends.
* Completed three escape room adventures (and died twice).
* Crossed off an item from my bucket list (was locked inside a bookstore late at night).
* Participated in National Readathon Day.
* Saw Henry Rollins in concert.
* Attended two plays: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “The Stone Witch.”
* Shot off a large cache of fireworks.
* Completed the Zombies, Run! 5K Virtual Race.
* Suffered from at least 23 migraines.
* Spent nine months caring for my youngest cat Sera, who had terminal cancer, then mourned when she died.
* Celebrated my 7th wedding anniversary.
* Helped my husband find a new job after he was laid off.
* Lived separately from M for months once he landed a great position at a university in Massachusetts.
* Revealed my entire financial background to various firms to qualify for a mortgage.
* Viewed dozens of houses in three states, trying to find one we could afford.
* Bought our first home.
* Turned 43.
Goals for 2017
* Finish unpacking.
* Work on my fiction.
* Write more obits.
* Read at least 50 books.
* Win the lottery.
Some people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people lead. In 2015, these 15 obituaries featured the people who most resonated with me: