I've spent a lot of time in the last few weeks considering my top albums, films, beers, and books of the year. A friend of mine loves lists and encouraged me to do so. I've really enjoyed the process. I've found some great music, drank some insanely delicious beers, read some great and not so great literature (grad school), and watched altogether too much TV and movies. As I went through these lists, and poured over which I should pin the ribbon of "best of the year" onto, I realized that my focus has been in the wrong place this year.
For one, I am way too indecisive and found it nearly impossible to nail down a list of the best, just doing so makes me terrified that I might make a mistake (God forbid I leave out something out on a website that no one else reads). I have since changed my approach. Instead of fretting over which beer is better than another beer, I’ve decided to focus on using this time to savor what I have read, drank, watched, etc. And, if I’m lucky and someone does read this, I also hope that these lists leave him or her with some suggestions as to what to partake in next year, as well as give them a brief understanding of who I am and what I value.
So along with that, the second revelation I had while looking back at the year was that most of my bests didn't have to do with things that I consumed (though I still am going to put those up here since I spent so much damn time thinking about them). Most of the best moments of this year cannot be summed up in a list of beers that I drank or the music I listened to. These moments may include beer (most assuredly they do!) and music (again, undoubtedly!) but they are also interwoven in with faces, conversation, scenery, and other things that add meaning to them. So as I go about listing my bests of 2010 I intend to mix in a lot of memories, pictures, and lessons learned along the way, and I hope that as you finish up the year consider your best memories, creations, revelations, and challenges overcome.
Salud!
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