2011 Reflections

As I continue to work on my 2012 Goals Collage, I decided to reflect on 2011.  Wow, 2011 was filled with so many twists and turns that I felt like I was literally on my own personal roller coaster.  The year started off with a closure of sorts.  I decided to let bygones be bygones and let go of any animosity toward anyone who I felt had done me wrong.  Fortunately, my list was rather short since it only consisted of one person, my ex.  I decided that I just couldn’t bring that hurt and disappointment into the New Year.  I started the year with a cautious optimism that I carried throughout the entire year.   The first of year was met with me returning to school to begin my specialist degree in Instructional Technology and Media. (What the heck was I thinking?  Oh wow, online courses are no joke and they continue to kick my butt!).  As the year progressed, I found myself mourning the loss of a close friend’s mother and truly pausing to reflect on my own mortality.  The summer was met with the usual hustle and bustle of summer camps, family vacations (San Juan, PR) was great, and my part-time job of training teachers.  As the school year quickly began to surface on the horizon, I was met was an unimaginable change.  I was told that I would no longer be in elementary school but instead that I was moving to middle school.  For the past 14 years, I had been an elementary school teacher and I didn’t even know that I was certified to teach middle school.  I was less than happy to say the least.  However, once I got settled into the routine of working with middle school girls (it’s an all-girls school) and having a later start time for work I was sold. As 2011 came to a close, I found myself purging and preparing to move to a smaller, cheaper apartment.  In addition to getting rid of stuff that I no longer used, I decided to get rid of thoughts and situations that were no longer necessary or fruitful.  As 2011 came to an end, I found myself settling into my new head space as well as my new place.  The events of 2011 have helped me see that at the end of the day it’s all about courage.   The courage to keep going when I don’t feel like it, the courage to stand-up for myself and my opinions, the courage to be unapologetic about my choices and finally the courage to accept that my HEA (happily ever after) doesn’t necessarily consist of a husband but rather it is rooted in my growing relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.