An Inspired Journey Through a Dreadful Year

What a year!

I think we can all breathe a small sigh of relief in knowing that it’s (nearly) over, am I right?!

In a year that started as most do (at least IMO), with promise and anticipation, the majority of us have been vastly disappointed. Emotions quickly turned to fear and angst over situations that sprang up with reckless abandon. Many of us have lost people that we love or know someone else who has, and some of us have suffered in various ways ourselves. COVID-19 is not the only thing that has caused a ripple in our lives either, and with a significant number of events stirring the pot this year, well, it’s no wonder I’ve seen so many people wishing the year away. What I’d rather focus on is the positivity this year has brought me, and I know, a lot of you as well. 

I started the year with the intention to simply keep moving forward; with my fitness and nutrition, with raising my kids and trying to maintain balance the best that I could. There were obvious hoops and hurdles that I found myself facing, and yet, I found so much of myself this year. Between the chaos and the fear, the anger and the pain that has crushed us all, I found exactly who I am and who I’ve always been, and I set her free. Does that sound cliched? Maybe, but something ignited in me that brought to light a woman who isn’t afraid to stand in her own skin. I took the slightly awkward and socially anxious person that I was and challenged her to do better. To open up and embrace the things that she feared. I started this blog, wrote short stories, took travel adventures and nearly finished a novel I’ve been working on for years (and maybe started two more). I embraced relationships that might have otherwise been slightly fear-inducing for me. I built a new foundation for myself, in more than one way, and my only goal is to continue to build upon it. 

Many aspects of my life became a little twisted because of this, including my own marriage, but I think it was bound to happen anyway. I have been criticized quite often for sharing my journey, be it fitness or travel or blogging, because I’m “showboating” or I “just want attention”. I’ve been asked to share my happiness less because others have it far less fortunate or have been worse off and it’s upsetting to them. Now, you may think what you wish, because your opinion is just that, yours, but I won’t stop sharing mine. What once might have caused me to withdraw has only pushed me to continue sharing my story and happiness in hopes that it reaches someone who could genuinely use it. It is my hope that any person who finds themselves in the same position can find the courage to stand up and continue sharing their own stories regardless. I am merely a speck in what is such a grand universe full of energies, but I want to share my energy with all of you in hopes that it does something to ignite your own.

Now that the year has come to an end (finally), people look to the next year for what they can change. I don’t normally do resolutions though, because I believe that each year should be a continuation of the last with the desire to build upon what you’ve already created. So for next year, the plan isn’t to do anything more than build upon what I already am. Maybe I’ll go on a grand adventure, maybe I’ll (finally) publish a novel, and maybe I’ll do absolutely nothing. As long as I’m staying true to who I am and who I want to be, then I am content wherever I land.

Whatever you have done, and however your year has gone, know that we all did the best we could, and that’s all anyone should ask for. If you didn’t manage to do anything amazing or grand this year, I hope next year will shine brighter for you.

Here is to having a beautiful last day of 2020. Forget the negativity that this year has brought, push forward and try to make 2021 better than ever. May you do something you’ve always dreamt of, and may you have your best year yet.

Happy New Year!