[I'm participating in Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, in case you're all like, what's with the theme?]

Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?

On February 2nd of this year I was laid off. And while I was happy about it, I was obviously just that wee bit terrified about…ohhhh, you know, money. And the mortgage payment. Stuff like that. Time to make this thing fly, I told myself, and then, with the help of many, many people, proceeded to fly.

The truth is, I’ve been very, very lucky. And I continue to be very, very grateful. But being lucky and grateful do not erase the hard part of the challenge. I’ll tell you what tempers it, though: exhilaration. The knowledge that there is no chain of command; just you. Bad decision, good decision? No bitching about the management. It’s you, honey. Just you.

Success is sweeter this way; I expected that. Failure? Less bitter. I didn’t expect that.

I’m at a turning point just now. Maybe this continues to work; maybe it doesn’t. Weirdly, both sides appeal to me. Guess I passed the challenge.