The tide is coming in for the last time as this will be my final post to you all this year. As I’ve stated before, when I began this blog I had no idea where I wanted it to go, what I would add to it, or if I’d be any good at it. Whether you read one post or all of them, I’m beyond grateful for the readers I’ve had. Writing has been a wildly fantastic outlet for me this past year. I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought possible. I would like for this post to serve as my year in review.
I will continue writing in 2019 and hope to bring more narrative based content. I’ve decided I’ll continue adding my poems, and will add travel trip summaries. Writing has become a passion and as the words pour out of me, I’ll channel that flow here.
One of my original goals for 2018 was to visit three more states and one new country. If you’ve kept up with the blog than you know I was able to do five new states (Oregon, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington, and Colorado). As for the new country, I just barely squeezed that in here. I fly out tomorrow for Costa Rica where I will ring in 2019. I have been very fortunate to be able to do so much traveling. I have an abundance of weddings to attend in the new year and I am saving to make my move to the PNW in the future so traveling won’t be as often, but if I’m able to I’d like to visit two more states this upcoming year. I have the scratch off maps (one of the U.S. and one of the world), framed in my bedroom. So, everyday I look at all the places I haven’t scratched off yet – my motivation.
“Stop dreaming about your bucket list and start living it. “ – Annette White
As I’ve already updated you all on my travel and writing goals, I’ll go ahead and bring you up to speed on my other goals I had for 2018.
- I realize now that with my fitness goal, I didn’t do anything that could be measured (i.e. muscle mass, body mass index, etc.); I think my focus was just on incorporating exercise more into my routine. I did a good balance of weight lifting and cardio. I ran competitively in high school and 10 years later was able to run a 5k faster than I did then. Big win for me.
- Looking back on it, learning piano was an ambitious goal. I enjoyed learning what I did, but at the moment I’ve accepted that I’m not good at it.
- Drinking less alcohol. I started off 2018 crushing this goal – over the summer wasn’t doing so hot – but can say that I’m finishing the year doing very well.
- 30 days of vegan did not happen. As I mentioned in a previous post I’ve had abdominal issues and am now going to a gastroenterologist who doesn’t want me to make any changes to my diet until this is resolved.
- My aspiration to be fluent in speaking Italian. Still working on this one – I’m not as far along as I’d like but I’m continuing.
- To read one book a month. I’m happy to report that I read 21 books in 2018.
- The job I started at the beginning of this year has gone great and it was a wonderful transition I made.
- Although, I ultimately chose not to go back to school – I’m content with the three degrees I do have.
In addition to these goals I shared with you, I set some other personal goals for myself in 2018. This is where this post may become more vulnerable. As I grow and continue to become more comfortable with who I am as a person and who I want to be in this life – I needed to make more changes to live authentically. I’ll be the first to admit that for the majority of my life, on the outside I’ve been an outgoing extrovert, however inside I’ve been holding my breath. It is now my time to exhale, and be more me than I have been in a long time. For those that have been the current under my fins and kept me anchored, I’ll never be able to thank you enough.
This year has been a roller coaster ride. I’ve realized more and more who I am as a person and who I aspire to be. Subtle changes from successfully being a vegetarian for a year to moving into a new city where I joined multiple sports leagues to meet people. I’ve gained friends and lost some. I was unfortunately involved in drama that I wish I hadn’t been (that is not my scene – more go with the flow). Thought I had fallen in love, now think I was just in love with the idea. Due to a lack of acceptance, I lost some family members – and have struggled with others who don’t know how to navigate that separation.
“When you forgive yourself for your past decisions, you’re free from the blame and can find the bandwidth to manage the current issues in your life.” – Ryan Howes
Announcing who you are to the world is pretty scary because what if the world doesn’t like you? I am done living in a world where I don’t get to be who I am. 2018 was truly a year of growth for myself. I cannot wait to see where my life continues to go into this New Year. I’ll be bringing it in with two of my closest cousins in a new country. As I strive for greatness and simply trying to be a better human, I want to share with you my 2019 goals as I hope you all continue to hold me accountable.
- As I love spending time outside and enjoy plants, I want to garden more and educate myself on the plants I buy and want to grow.
- Volunteering is something I’ve always done and enjoyed, but I’d like to be better at documenting it and choosing causes that aren’t just easily available but mean something to me. I’ve sought out a couple organizations already and hope to do more outreach in January.
- In 2018 I chose a certain amount of books I wanted to read. This year a new friend and I have discussed on creating a book club and I’d like that to be my focus – the creation of that and new books to come.
- My ongoing journey to learn the Italian language.
- As I intend to travel less this year, my goal is to become more educated on finance best practices and create budgets to become debt free in the near future.
- My journey with fitness will continue, but I hope to journal this adventure more and look into creating measurable goals.
- Lastly, I hope to live more authentically with my decisions, reactions, and everyday life.
As I pack to leave for Costa Rica tomorrow, I can’t help but thank each of you for continuing this blog journey with me this year. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I look forward to bringing more content for you all in 2019. Swim strong my mermaids.
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” – Lao Tzu
The Narrative of a Merman 