It’s the beginning of February 2025. So far, this year feels like nothing but work. Working my job to scrape by and pay the bills, working on the house so I can rent out a room and not struggle quite so hard to pay the bills, and working on project guitars as a side project/obsession, which takes me from feeling like I’ve accomplished something, to wondering why I screwed up so bad.

I had some real ups and downs last year, and they were some extreme ups and downs, like the roller coaster rides you couldn’t believe you went on but went anyway. I had a girlfriend last year I was really happy with, and she dropped me. I have dated a woman recently, and it’s not working for me, so now I’m going to have to drop her. I’ve been trying to finish up a house project that’s involved putting in some new doors. I thought I was getting it done recently, only to find out I had the wrong damn door, so the project is still ongoing and never ending. I’m working on a guitar that was damaged and needed repairing. I want to fix it up for a friend coming later this week. When I thought I was almost done, more complications have come up.

The theme for this year seems to be work hard and keep working, because it’s never going to end. I went from having a girlfriend and a project friend to having no one. Trying to get the motivation to keep going has been a challenge lately. At the same time, I know I’m the only one who’s going to get the things done I need to get done in order to make life any better.

Sometime today I realized this is another Warrior’s Way situation. For those not familiar with this discipline, it comes from Carlos Castenada who wrote a series of books in the 70s. A warrior accepts his lot for what it’s worth and does the research necessary to excel in the world and be what he or she wants to be. That’s a quick and dirty explanation anyway.

I get the feeling this year can bring rewards if the obstacles are handled. This house is either going to be the death of me, or steer me in a new direction. I’d rather see the latter happen.