Regardless of your political bent, there’s no denying that 2017 was a screwy year, colored by polarization; global tensions, particularly regarding North Korea and Russia; mass killings; racist activities; political turmoil; and a president whose guiding principle seems to be self-aggrandizement. Yet in so many ways 2017 has been a very good year for Donna and me, filled with celebrations. In January we journeyed to Costa Rica to celebrate our anniversary and Donna’s birthday, and in November I finally was onboarded as a full-time employee at Constellation, where I had worked in the Communications department as a contractor for three years. In between these milestones, there were many happy days, most of which were centered on family. Our oldest child, Kate, was married in July to Steve Ritchie. The previous month Kate and I completed the one-mile Chesapeake Bay swim. It was wonderful swimming with Kate, who had trained hard for her first open-water swim and crushed it. In