A Toast to 2024

Looking back on a year gone by is an odd thing. I've always had trouble fully appreciating the highs and lows of each year; the years seem to fly by and blur together, and little feels like it belongs to any one year.

2023 was different, for better or for worse. The highs and lows stand out in my mind with particular clarity, especially at times when it felt like I was losing control of things.

That's not to say that 2023 was all bad. I've transitioned successfully into a completely new lifestyle and watched my family and friends do the same; I've made wonderful new friends and learned a lot about myself. But it was also a year rife with challenges, and to ignore those struggles would be to ignore the importance of uphill battles. And so I look back on 2023 with a particular clarity, recognizing the blessings that God placed in my life regardless of how they appeared at the time.

One thing I'll always be thankful for: music. I can mark times in my life when I found certain music, and those times are often my low points. For example: the beginning and duration of the pandemic is marked by My Morning Jacket and Sturgill Simpson's SOUND & FURY. Looking back on 2023, I'm thankful for REM. It sounds silly, but I can point to specific times when putting an earbud in became the difference between struggling through a difficult day and pushing myself to make it a good one. Sometimes that required a song that drove me forward, something upbeat and encouraging; sometimes I needed a song that knew exactly what I was dealing with. Regardless, music has become, over the past 4 years, the way that I remember certain times in my life, consistently shifting like the seasons as I transition into different phases. And for that blessing, the gift of good music in bad times, I am forever thankful.

And now, looking forward into 2024, one song remains on my mind: I Believe, by (naturally) REM. It's that one song I talked about awhile ago, the one with the banjo prelude straight into the rollicking, fast-paced guitar (if that means anything to y'all). Give it a listen, preferably while you read the rest of this post.

The inspirations within I Believe are twofold. First: the idea of belief, applied however you wish to interpret it. I believed that things could get better halfway through my semester; when they didn't immediately improve, I kept believing. I look back now, in a much better place than I was, and I appreciate wholeheartedly how that belief directly led to a shift as I worked actively to improve myself. It's easy to say that belief means nothing without action, but I disagree; believe in something or fall for anything. Standing firm in who I am is how I maintain my identity in a world where identity seems so very fluid, where it's easy to shift with the times and with those around you. Once I figured out that I could still be who I was in a new place, life got easier for me.

Second: believing in your power to make every day better. I remember coming home from high school around April and telling my dad that I couldn't stop feeling negative about everything (senioritis at its finest). He told me that I can control my attitude. I did not believe him, but he was right; believing that my attitude was always within my control was the first step in a long series of attitude adjustments that I'm still working on now, a long road that leads to the ideal daily approach characterized by hope and a belief that the tide will turn eventually.

Anyway, sorry for getting personal on here, but I guess this blog is about whatever I want to say. To sum all of that up: I'm thankful for 2023, even if I felt pretty awful at times, because I learned how to believe in the power of taking things day by day. I'm still working to approach each day with that belief, but I guess that's my New Year's Resolution. If you relate to anything I said here, my advice is to soundtrack your life. Mark the time with music, and find music that gives you hope in challenging times.

I'll leave you with a verse and a lyric. I hope your 2024 is filled with love and warmth, and that you believe in yourself.

"...If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all."

Isaiah 7:9 (abbreviated)

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...I believe

The poles are shifting

I believe my shirt is wearing thin,

and change is what I believe in.

-- Michael Stipe & R.E.M.

Wahoowa and sincerely sorry for the rambling,

Emory Huffman

(I'll write something new soon, I promise)