on the first of december, twenty twelve

Frankly, I am astounded how quickly 2012 has passed.  It's terribly cliche, but time seems to pass more quickly with every new year.  Almost as if as soon as we're old enough to value time, it speeds up, mocking us.

But that's all rather dreary for the dawn of one of my favorite months.  Though I've been in the Christmas spirit since the onset of Thanksgiving, December is when I feel like the rest of the world catches on and people genuinely begin to attempt to spread goodwill and cheer.

In case it wasn't clear, I set a small personal goal to write a blog post every single day last month.  Many of the blogging world did the same, with #NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), and I did register my name stating that I'd be joining.  There are prizes and such offered on the regular, but that wasn't my goal.  As many of you saw in your readers, I had to do many retroactive posts to meet my goal, but I did it, and it felt good.  I mainly write on this blog for myself, and my family, and to keep a small little record of our life so that somewhere down the road, we'll have more tangible memories of the people, things, places, and experiences that made us who we are.  It makes me glad to see that a few people love to follow along, of course, and I hope this record of the small and silly as well as larger and more meaningful aspects of our life, currently in Cambodia, is a daily source of five minutes of joy for you.

The actual point of this rambling post is to explain another monthly blogging activity I'll be taking part in, though a bit more obviously this time: WEverb.  A simple little prompt each day, to help me reflect and renew for the coming year.  2013 will be the year I head home to America, to an unknown job (though I have a few hopes for where I'd like to continue my career), to our home and pup, and family.  The only entire year we'll spend in Peace Corps service is coming to a close.

The first of December's prompt is to write a haiku for 2012, and one for 2013 if I am so inclined.  I haven't written a haiku since I taught them alongside cinquains and limericks to my eighth graders back in 2009, but here's me giving it a whirl.

2012:

 bananas and rice

a bike striped with yellow tape

service, sweat and smiles

2013:

hard work, final push

eight months left, to do it all

deep sigh, let's go home

have you a haiku for your 2012?