Happy New Year to you.
How will you spend it?
Some years ago, I created a new tradition for each New Year. I take a moment to look back at the accomplishments or changes I’ve made the year before and celebrate them, rather than simply focusing on what’s next. As a neurotic, guilt-driven individual, I’m flooded with mental lists of what I should and shouldn’t be doing every day, and it’s not a quality I need to punctuate.
So in a nutshell, here are the things I’m celebrating from 2012:
Cheap travel to scary places. Alone.
If someone would have told me when I was young that I would one day travel to Southeast Asia by myself and have the time of my life, I would never have believed it. But last January, I did just that, and made some of my life’s best memories, all by myself.
My friends discouraged me from going on my own. I have no sense of direction at home, so how would I find my way around in a country whose language I didn’t speak? What if I caught a parasite, or was pick-pocketed? All good points, but I’m too old to wait for the Man of My Dreams, and too cranky to be a part of a tour group.
Turns out, a single traveler gets offered good discounts, more conversations, and sympathy invites from the locals to really neat events.
Volunteering
Have you ever thought about an alternate career you might want to try? Volunteering provides great opportunities to hone new skills.Giving away my time has been more selfish than selfless. I’ve had so much fun as a 49 Writer’s volunteer, helping with grant writing, promoting writing classes, and conducting author interviews.
http://49writers.blogspot.com/2012/11/liz-meredith-vic-fischercharles.htmlConnecting
Thanks to the internet, social media, and blogging, I’ve felt more in touch this year with loved ones all over the world, and I”ve even met some terrific strangers. I know how busy we all are, so it means the world to me that you continue to stop by.
Today, take the time to reflect on what you’re proud of from this past year, whether it was surviving a flood, the death of a loved one, or just limped along for another year. And please feel free to share them. I love hearing from you.
