Getting in tune for June

That's life. 

That's what people say. 

You're riding high in April. 

Shot down in May. 

But I'm going to change that tune. 

When I'm back up there in June. 

-- Frank Sinatra

As someone who was riding fairly high last April and shot down in May, Mr. Sinatra’s words sound woefully contrived and patronizing at this point of time. 

Though I tried to change the tune personally and professionally, I went a little off-key in July, contracted laryngitis in August and voluntarily left the band in September. But I've gone solo and switched from a major label to an indie -- which is more of my style anyway. 

Overall, I'd characterize the parting with my employer as amicable. I took away great experience, a lucrative contract and several close personal friends. But it's too soon to say whether my domestic situation will result in an official parting -- amicable or otherwise. 

Now it's January 2014. I paid for a mini-van, a MacBook Air and an iPhone -- all in cash from my contracts. I've got a 1,000-square-foot office and apartment -- in my mother's basement, a place on the couch in my kids' house and an actual bed in the family cabin near Fairplay. 

This Christmas, my mom redeemed her frequent flyer miles and bought me airfare to visit my sister, who practically lives in a Buddhist spa off Lake Champlain in Vermont. My other sister gave me an Italian leather wallet that she carried with her during to a Vatican mass -- so, it must've been blessed by Pope Francis. With help from their mother's debit card, my four kids "bought" a $50 REI gift card to defray the costs of bike shoes and pedals -- though all of their laughter joy would've sufficed. My estranged spouse knitted me a hat -- so, that my head feels enveloped in love when the bitter cold comes. 

Overall, you can say I've gained more than I lost in 2013 -- though I would like to give back the 22 pounds I've amassed between Halloween and Jan. 3. And it would be nice to have more certainty about the future. As they say, apart from the truly inevitable -- death and taxes -- what exactly is certainty anyway? I know the bills will be paid for the next few months and I've got plenty of opportunity and support to draw from in the meantime. 

My resolutions for this year are simultaneously basic and ambitious: 

1) Create more "space" in my life by clearing the literal clutter (such as unused notes from the ghosts of projects past and Google Alerts in my email account) and the figurative clutter (such as worrying about that which is out of my control -- albeit, almost everything and Words With Friends). 

2) Train for Ride the Rockies -- which just so happens to fall in that hopeful month of June. In short, that means a complete overhaul in how I eat, drink and exercise. 

But after I cross the finish line, exchange high-fives and consume victory craft beer, there will certainly be more hills to climb, headwinds to endure and tailwinds to enjoy. 

Because, as Frank said, "That's life."