I'm ready to kiss 2008 good-bye, but I must say that it is a bitter-sweet parting. So much has changed in my life this year with new windows appearing just as doors slam shut behind me. I take credit for gently pulling a few of them to on my own, but a couple left me with a knob-shaped bruise on my behind. I have no complaints, though; no regrets.
When I started conceptualizing this post, I was going to announce that 2008 was my year of lost and found. The body I lost to childbirth and the "new twenties"? I found it through a ridiculously healthy diet and a personal trainer. The twelve pounds I lost in that process? I found them again, too, and will be carrying them into 2009. The passion and vulnerability of falling in love...something I thought I'd lost? I found them through a man I knew I would marry. The courage to and joy of choosing myself when it became clear that...um...he's just not that into me? I found that, too. I lost several friends/colleagues to layoff number sixteen. I found my own head on the block with number seventeen...but it (my head, that is) rolled right around the corner where another opportunity was waiting for me.
So, initially, lost/found seemed appropos. But, really, when I tally up the losses versus the founds, it ends up that 2008 might actually just be the Year of Found. The list of treasures I've collected over the past twelve months is too extensive to detail here, but here are some of the highlights which majorly outweigh anything that on its surface looked like a loss: two new brothers-in-law (well, one is still brother-in-law-to-be, but I'm counting him); new friends who understand what I do for a living; old friends I'd neglected lost touch with for years; evidence that the Law of Attraction is real; a phenomenal coach; a path to becoming a coach myself; clarity of purpose; the confidence to write this blog; and you, my Mama Spot family. The thing that amazes me about my "losses" and the multitude of founds is that every single one has led me back to myself, a self I'd forgotten was there or one I had yet to discover. I have found myself, and we are enjoying getting reacquainted.
And, for that, I say, "Thank you!" to each of you, for taking this journey with me. I have grown so much right here in this space that we have built together. So, with that, I'm puckering up and leaving a big wet one on 2008 and daring 2009 to bring it on! Happy New Year!
Your turn. What was your theme for 2008? What have you lost and found this year? What are you ready for in 2009?
