auspicious day

 I love New Year’s Eve, though more for the excuse to reflect, ponder, and process life than for the opportunity to lose sleep over a robotic glittering ball. 

This year, I wasn’t able to spend much time pondering on New Year’s Eve because I was busy renewing friendships, creating memories, and anticipating the future (which, by the way, is another perfectly legit way to spend that holiday). Plus also, I wasn’t much in the mood for reflecting, since 2012 held a lot of good-but-really-hard changes for me.

Today, however, provides an excellent position from which to reflect on the past year. It’s an auspicious day: on April 24, 1154BC, the Greeks invaded Troy via the Trojan Horse, and on this day in 1969, Paul McCartney uttered his famous phrase, “There is no truth in the rumor that I am dead.” 

thanks Meg! 

Today is also my birthday. 

So as I am pondering, here is a list of the significant things I have accomplished, experienced, or learned (though not completely!) during the past year of life:

• I quit a job after 3.5 years.
• I worked at an adventure camp.
• I found my passion.
• I became homeless (almost a year to the day!).
• I battled fear.
• I watched a DEAR friend get married.
• I cried for the first time at a wedding.
• I moved to Africa.
• I learned to live day-by-day, moment-by-moment.
• I toured Uganda with one of my favorite persons.
• I developed a new community from scratch. 
• I gave up my passion.
• I choose to put others ahead of myself.
• I started a 1,000 gifts list. 
• I learned contentment.

my awesome housies & psuedo-housies who threw me a surprise party!