Opinion: 1 year in the Senate — what I’ve learned, what surprised me and what I refuse to forget

If I had to sum up my first year in the Senate, I’d say it’s been a year of contrasts. It’s been a year of loving my job and a year of sometimes just surviving it. A year of great accomplishments and a year of seeing all the things still left undone. I turned 65 this year, and I used to joke that I never really wanted to live past 65. Well, now that I’m here, I’ve decided 65 isn’t nearly as old as I once thought — although the fact that I just learned I’ll need hearing aids is a sure sign the warranty is starting to run out.