Has it been a year already?

On Saturday November 21st, 2015 I came home from work, had dinner and watched a little TV. Pretty standard night for someone who works the weekend except for one little thing...it was the last day I didn't drink or review a beer. It wasn't my intention at the time to drink a beer every day and talk about it. Indeed, I had been doing Instagram reviews sporadically for many months beforehand and I had been toying with the idea of doing a blog to talk about my life and how craft beer had impacted it. I had several posts saved up and waiting for my anxiety to pass so I could put them out in the world. But at no time did I have an idea of what changes would come from the simple act of opening a beer and adding my thoughts to a picture on the internet.

The scope of what I was embarking on was not evident to me at the time and while I can look back and marvel at what the last year has brought me in terms of experiences, people and of course, great beer. I was not planning any of it. To some extent, I still don't really plan anything. I open the fridge every day and try to decide what I want to drink, why I want to drink it and even how I want to remember it with my picture or video. I still do it for myself and to share with my friends and family, but now that group of friends has changed and grown and I am always talking beer with someone, every day.

I still usually only have 1 or 2 beers most of the time and have noticed a drop in my desire to have any more than that. My fridge is usually full of singles and that means I don't want to waste one that I could share. I love to tell stories and the beer has given me a platform to do so. Exploring beer has led me down many paths and the experiences are changing me every time I go out. So while there are still 39 days left in Project 366 and I will proudly write about everything that has happened in 2016 in January, I am more than pleased to have made it pillar to post with amazing craft beer here at the end of November. I understand it maybe isn't up there with life's biggest accomplishments, but given that I used to get blackout drunk several times a week and only didn't drink when I was too hungover to do so, this one makes me feel good about myself. I have no intention of stopping any time soon and will continue to be honest, straightforward and maybe even more adventurous with my personal challenges. Moderation and mindfullness took me a large portion of the year to fully grasp and I continue to pursue the perfect balance between indulgence and temperance.

Here's to many more interesting experiences, great nights with friends and of course, amazing Craft Beer.

Raise your glass and your standards, One beer at a time!

Cheers!