Out with the old...

2012.
The year in which I place the utmost hope.
For happiness, health, and joy.
For less sorrow, worry, and pain.
For faith, family, and friends.
For life.

Here are some things I have learned this year:

*Even the most reformed of grudge-holders can revert back to unhealthy ways. Oops.

*Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes can fix a lot of problems. But walking miles and miles and miles in someone else’s shoes can get tiring, and it takes you farther away from the person you’re trying to understand. I find it’s best if you can walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, and they walk a mile in yours to meet you halfway.

*I always want to work in a school for the rest of my life. I may not be that lucky, but at least I know what I want.

*Knowing what you want is the easy part. If it's not, you have a problem.

*I strayed far from myself in 2010. I think 2011 was my alarm clock. Marriage changes a lot of things, but it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to change everything.

*I am capable of making big changes to myself. A year ago at this time, I didn’t know if that was possible. Now that I know it is, I am inspired to accomplish much more with my time and tools.

*The years of my life that started out the absolute worst turned into the absolute best. 2012 walked through the front door and handed me the stomach flu. I have high hopes for this year.

*I think when God laughs at our plans, it isn’t so much out of spite as it is out of wisdom and patience; the way a parent chuckles when their child says she wants to be a teacher, a mommy, and a veterinarian when she grows up. And with that being said, I can start to forgive God. Don’t worry, he knows I’m still mad, we talk about it a lot.

*It is possible to be homesick for a place that isn’t “home,” and it is possible to feel like a stranger in a foreign land when you are home.

*I really, really, really enjoy being crafty. Because of this, and my lack of good ideas combined with my willingness to try anything other people suggest, I think Pinterest is the best website of 2011.

*I’ve prided myself for the past few years on my ability to adapt and create positive situations out of whatever life hands me. Sadly, 2011 feels like my two steps back to my previous step forward.

*The best thing you can do for yourself is to let go. Let go of everything except the things that make you happy, those are worth hanging on to.

So there it is. Again, it may not be worth much, but it's worth a little bit. I promise.