On December 31, 2017 I boldly (and soberly) declared that 2018 was going to be my year...this is how that turned out.

"People don't grow where they are planted, they grow where they are loved." - Bob Goff 


2017 was a steaming pile of crap. You can read about it here. By the end of it, I had enough. So on December 31, 2017 I stood proudly and soberly (it was like 2pm) in my friend’s bedroom and said, “we’re not doing this again. 2018 will be my year.”

 After that evening, I drove back to Philadelphia and nothing had changed. I still had medical bills (still do actually), I was still heart-broken, I was still feeling stuck in my career, but I was different. This was my year. I had decided, so, none of that mattered. And you know what? Things did change. Slowly, but surely things started to fall into place and by the end of the year, I moved out of my apartment, got a new job, moved to a new city, started doing gymnastics and aerial, and more of the last 354 days have been happy.than sad. 

Bad things still happened this year (I’m typing this with one hand because the other one is broken), but I decided not to care. I accidentally threw my keys down a sewer and couldn’t stop laughing about it. I’m in a never ending battle with my health insurance company, but they don’t get to steal my sunshine. I also learned that most people are wonderful. My family went to crazy lengths to get my stuff out of Philadelphia. Two beautiful friends took me in so I wouldn’t be homeless (and watched an Alf marathon on the 4^th of July). I reconnected with old friends who grew into amazing individuals. My brother and sister-in-law have let me crash at their place and use their washing machine countless times. I cried every day for the two weeks leading up to my departure from Philadelphia because I was overwhelmed by the love and support that surrounded me in this beautiful place that I was lucky enough to call home for 6 years.  

Life is magical, even on bad days and the universe falls in love with a stubborn heart. My last plea for 2018 is for empathy and forgiveness. We’re all growing into the people we are meant to be in our own time and we need to support each others’ struggles and celebrate each others’ successes. We’re all in this life together.

Here’s to 2019.

The above photos is from "Read This If". A beautiful book for anyone who is struggling.