Last year, it was a person. This year, it’s an…idea…and perhaps a person. The year isn’t over yet, so there are chances.

Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

A former coworker and I had lunch recently. He and I had barely talked since I was laid off 3 years ago. This was the first time that we got some time…to really talk beyond the very recent happy hour.

When I first met him, he was heading off to Hawaii to get married. He had joined the company just before I did and was hired full-time shortly after. Within a few months, he told everyone that his wife was pregnant. He was older, very hipster and didn’t drink.

And I thought that was what my life could be like.

When I had lunch with him recently sitting in a busy restaurant, I asked about his situation. We were getting something quick at Tropisueño—close to his office, slightly further from mine. His face was full of conclusion—decisions made, a tinge of sorrow…and acceptance. He had just moved to the Sunset while his wife was staying in San Bruno. They were figuring out swapping weekly schedules for his son. He now was open to drinking alcohol from time to time.

“I just found that we couldn’t make each other happy anymore,” he explained.