I started 2013 with a new job. A role that was clearly not something I wanted to pursue long-term, but nonetheless a big step forward for me, so I was thrilled about it! This was the year we got a new car, which greatly improved our lives in terms of commute and on my recent job hunting efforts. It was the year I finally got a gym membership and actually had fun using said gym (when I could get over the dread of walking all the way over there!). It was the year when I finally managed to make edible soup and the first time I went mini golfing. 2013 was the year I learned how to make sock creatures and how to change duvet covers single-handedly. It was the year when I read the most and when I accomplished most of my New Year's resolutions. This was the year when I returned to Paris, this time with the love of my life. 2013 was the year I gradually stopped dressing the same way as when I was at Uni. In 2013 I celebrated three years next to a wonderful man whom I couldn't possibly love more. It was the year when I conquered sun salutations without falling or messing up my breathing. It was a year of constant learning and tweaking. In 2013 I discovered the pleasure of - for the first time in my life - treating myself to lunch in a restaurant and a trip to a bookstore on a regular basis. This was the year when I clearly developed my gaming skills and established board and card games as a solid new love. It was a year of more social activity than 2012. And then there was the perfect ending of getting a brand new job. Something I am looking forward to and that I know is the start of a shinier future.
Sure, there's less positive aspects to this year but I choose not to dwell on these too much. In 2013 I got a big dental scare. I was pushed to extreme limits in my (now old) job. I had months of late shifts that meant not seeing my partner for most of the week, even though we live together. My self-esteem plummeted to new lows. I was unemployed for four months. I barely lost weight. I spend my second Christmas away from my family. In the whole of 2013 I spent less than three weeks in my country. But then there's also all the good things mentioned above. That and the promise of a better 2014. A 2014 full of change and growth. And I can't wait for it all.
Am I where I expected to be by my late twenties? No, not by a mile. However - despite how many setbacks I had to work through in my path - I know change is upon me and I'm ready to embrace it and sprint with it until I catch up, full speed to the next milestone, and the one after that. 2013 was a year of great inner change, of learning and realigning myself. 2014 will be a year of outer change, of doing and achieving and making my future a reality. I am ready. Bring it on!
