Before bringing in the New Year, I wanted to reflect on the important things I was fortunate to learn this year. For me this has been a year of change, learning and new perspectives. Here are a few things that I will not forget.
I learned that life is precious. I lost family members and good friends this year to cancer. I hope to make the most of my time here and really live my life to its fullest in honor of their memory.
I learned what true friendship can be by being open and listening to constructive criticism when told to help me see things from a different perspective. Observations like this are not intended to hurt me but help me. My friend knows me well and knows I don’t want to come across like that to others, so they were honest with me about something I was doing and how others might perceive it. True friendship is being able to tell a friend something difficult and trusting them enough to hear what they are saying instead of becoming defensive and then allowing you to grow from that observation. I am grateful to have friends like that in my life.
I have learned that you are the only one who can bring you happiness. I will never forget that or try to hold those close to me accountable for it. It isn’t fair to them or me.
I have learned to never let fear get the best of me again. Although it is trying to protect me, it always ends up hurting me when I let it lead my thoughts and actions. I found that fear is contagious and others will respond with fear when your actions lead with it. Then around and around you go, feeding off each other’s reactions to the other’s frustration.
I have learned it is ok to make mistakes and sometimes be a mess as long as you can find the humor in it, be humble and learn from them. I can learn from every situation, even from my failures which sometimes are the ones I can learn from the most. And I am grateful for the chance to continue to learn and become a better woman from each of my life’s experiences.
I have learned to appreciate every sunset. It is a sign of one more day that you have had a chance to live. And how special they can be when I have gotten to share them with those I love.
And I have been pleasantly surprised to learn that you can have fresh starts in life. With respect, forgiveness, friendship, kindness and thoughtfulness, you can be given the gift of starting over. And hopefully take all that you have learned and get a chance to do it better then next time around.
I have been blessed with a year of learning and I hope you have learned a few things too. To all my friends for the New Year to come, I wish you a wonderful year of happiness, laughter, fun adventures and fantastic memories. I hope we can share it together and hope to see you all soon.
Until next time,
Christy
