One year ago I turned 36. 355 days ago I started this blog.
On neither of those days did I have any idea what the upcoming year would bring.
Sometime last year I developed a 7-year plan. At some point this year it went completely out the window.
It’s not that those goals aren’t important to me, but that plan was focused on one specific thing: moving overseas to work for an international company. In some ways the events of the last year derailed the timing of that 7-year plan (because it included kids being a certain age, and because of the struggles of this last year the second hypothetical child hasn’t even been shipped yet).
We all know we can dream up all the timelines we want, but that’s just not how life works. In any case, it’s not just the timing. It’s that I have learned there’s more out there than one grand adventure. (And while I have a new job—that I love, even if I’m only on day 3—I’m about 60% less motivated by work than I was at this time last year.) I’d still love to do that someday, don’t get me wrong, but this last year stopped me, spun me around, and shoved me down another path.
And here I am, a year later, standing on that path looking at snow and sunsets and thinking thank God.
One thing is for sure: I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
Today* is my 37th birthday and I’m not even going to try to plan where I’m going in the coming year. I’m just going to enjoy the ride.
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*Wednesday that is. “Today” in blogging time.
I also got a wonderful birthday present from Katherine at Postpartum Progress (even though she didn’t know it was my birthday). I’m incredibly honoured to be included on this list of The Top 20 Writers on Postpartum Depression in 2011.
