2007 Recap

It's that fabulous time of year for list-lovers. The month of December, and particularly the week between Christmas and New Year's, is filled with highlight reels of the last year. In the spirit of the season, here is Hidden Blog's first top ten recap of the prior twelve months. These are the most significant events of the year, listed in the order in which they came to mind:

1. Separation from organized religion. As a lifelong Christian church member, this one jumped out as the major crossroads. God creates us differently, to love people in different roles as part of a bigger plan, and for the moment this feels like my calling.

2. "Graduation" from small group (October 1997 - January 2008). Friendships ebb and flow, and this one was both enriching and complete as priorities changed. We met every other Friday during ten school years. Among a host of hilarious memories, our three-year run as co-creators of Vacation Bible School skits stands out as the greatest.

3. The lingering back injury. See the 4-sport athlete transform into a couch potato before your very eyes! Incurred in June, it's my longest-running injury to date, and a focus for 2008.

4. Coaching the Jazz. Part of the self-examination (see the various summer entries regarding "Strengths") that ended my church membership also nudged me toward coaching YMCA basketball. Three practices are too early to tell, but the results are encouraging so far.

5. Free agent musician. I realized that I'd peaked in the band Higher Ground, and that it was time to find a better fit. This is life's most unresolved aspect right now, as I enjoy playing the guitar/singing every day of the week in the condo basement but have no idea how best to apply it successfully in public.

6. Jingle Bell Run training. Watching and helping Dena transform from non-runner into a sub-12 minute 5K miler might have been the happiest success story of the year!

7. Fun with Moms. Mom underwent two knee replacement surgeries which should put her on track for better health. And Grandma's 90th birthday was special because I was able to write, produce, and record a song for her as a birthday present. In fact, Higher Ground decided to play it live at a church service, my all-time musical highlight!

8. Career planning. Yet another shift in direction as part of self-exploration was to set a goal of retiring as young as possible, which looks like age 55. It's a dream most share, but in my case it also meant shifting my aspirations from "the next promotion" to charting a 20-year course within my current job. The timing was ironic, since shortly thereafter I passed up an opportunity -- one with greater pay, and greater stress -- that I would more likely have taken years ago.

9. Roofing project leadership. As detailed in earlier entries, convincing 2/3 of condo residents to invest in a major roofing project was a surprising accomplishment for a person who hasn't hammered a nail this century.

10. Hidden Blog's manic chase of Country Joe. The fourth time was a charm, as I'd dabbled in blogs for years before finally raising Hidden Blog from the shadows. With two regular readers -- what's up, Jack and Dona? -- it's become a cultural phenomenon that's the number 1 Google search engine result for "Joe McDonald's Hidden Blog" and has flirted at #42 of "Joe McDonald" searches.

Honorable mention goes to Leadership McLean County, the most successful volunteer experience in recent memory; High school memories, including my presentation for Career Day and Driscoll's 7th straight football championship; and the 7th inning stretch competition which led Jack and I to Wrigley Field with 2,000 others.

2007 was filled with new beginnings. Happy Old Year!