Scots are celebrating Hogmanay, the New Year’s Eve celebration that puts Christmas festivities to shame. It’s the only way to end one year and usher in the next one. Not having celebrated one in Scotland yet I envision something that pretty much lives up to the American mantra of GO BIG OR GO HOME!
As for the rest of us, it’s that day of the year again where we all sit around reflecting on what happened in the past year. For some of us that means sitting around completely depressed that once again, we failed to accomplish anything on our list of resolutions and there’s now ANOTHER 10 lbs added to the list of things to take care of in the New Year.
New Year’s Eve has traditionally been my Groundhog Day. Drowning my sorrows in a glass of wine so I wouldn’t have to admit to being a lazy cow with no motivation or discipline to see anything through.
I can’t honestly remember everything that was on my list of resolutions for 2015 though I’m fairly certain I didn’t accomplish many of them.
If I had to hazard a guess it would be the usual culprits:
Lose 20 lbs – I lost the same 1 lb about 6 times if that counts for anything
Start yoga – Nope. Still haven’t done this.
Find a fulfilling job – Instead I got a promotion so now I’m now doing MORE of the same work that drives me nuts.
Start WRITING! – well…….. I guess I technically might have done some of this though more for my own eyes instead of an audience.
Meet a guy – BAHAHAHAHA no. I didn’t do this either.
Find balance and order in my life – I did for about 2 weeks when I was in Scotland. Now that I know what this mystical goal looks like, I can work on getting it back.
It’s very easy to dwell on everything we haven’t done and pile on the self-loathing as punishment for yet another failed attempt at living the dream. This year I’m opting out of my Groundhog Day.
Sure, there’s a pile of things I didn’t do this year. I’m sure the list above isn’t an all-inclusive inventory of my failings for 2015 but there’s exactly nothing I can do to rewrite any of those days at the finish line. So I’m not going to get my knickers in a twist about it today.
What I am going to do is look at what I did do, albeit unexpectedly:
I found the place I’ve been homesick for since the beginning of time.
I finally had the surgery I’ve been fighting for over the past decade and I’m healing ahead of schedule. I’m eternally grateful for finding just the right doctor, she’s an angel! I finally have my body and sanity back. RIP shark week, it’s been real.
I caught up with old friends I haven’t seen in years and had an amazing time with them in Scotland. It was too short but I’ll be home soon so it’s all good. One of them was a school friend I haven’t seen since I left high school in 1994! We’ve Skyped every week for over a year but getting to be in the same place and catch up was incredible! If you’ve lost touch with old friends, look them up again. It’s a pile of good times just waiting to happen.
I got a promotion. Granted, it’s not the dream job I was looking for at the beginning of the year but it’s put me in a better position financially for a job I was already doing. That’s a plus.
I’ve ‘met’ some incredible people on Myfitnesspal (which is brilliant free site that I use in my quest to lose the stubborn 20 lbs – give it a go if you have poundage to shift). They’re an amazing bunch of nutters. One of them popped into Chicago for a long weekend and we got to meet up and had a great day. There’s definitely something to be said for virtual friends. Sure, there are crazies out there, you just need to find the crazies that fit for you. I’ve definitely found mine. We ‘chat’ daily and it’s like having coffee with the girls. We’re all headed in the same direction and that’s what matters.
I finally went to Madison County to take the photos I’ve been threatening to take since I got here 5 years ago. I opted out of my birthday this year and booked a spur of the moment trip to Iowa. I holed up in a one horse town in the middle of nowhere and went to see the covered bridges from the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. I hope it’s the beginning of a new annual tradition of going somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.
I took a solo trip abroad. I never thought I’d ever manage that in a million years. I’ve traveled alone numerous times but not taken an entire vacation solo. I might be crazy and a slight gypsy but deep down I’m a bit of a pansy. It turns out I can do stuff on my own without melting. I don’t have to have someone in my life to be able to live. While I did meet up with friends for a few days, the bulk of my trip to Scotland was solo.
I took a photography class. It’s been on my bucket list for years. There was a Groupon and I finally mustered up the courage to do it. There’s still a lot to learn and I love doing it.
I filed my citizenship papers. In a few short weeks I’ll finally have something other than my ball-and-chain South African passport. This will open up a pile of places to travel to without the fuss of needing a visa. Oh happy days!
My friends have hounded me to start a blog for ages so here I am. It’s the last day of 2015 and it is done. It never hurts to squeeze in one last goal at the finish line.
While I accomplished exactly nothing that I set out to do, I’ve done more of the things that actually matter to me. That’s what I’m taking with me from 2015.
It was a good vintage.
